Snowbird Triumphant
by sentinel28
Summary: So what happened to everyone? A quick update to 3072 of the fate of the Snowbirds. And of a certain red-haired little girl...
1. The Soul of a Samurai

_**SNOWBIRD TRIUMPHANT**_

_**The Last Chapter of the Snowbird Saga**_

_AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, here it is. Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this story, and for leaving _Snowbird's Last Stand_ in kind of a cliffhanger. It's been an interesting summer, in the Chinese sense of the word._

_But in any case, this will indeed be the last Snowbird story in the Clan War saga, at least. (I do have some ideas for some later stories, but we'll see. I have Inuyasha, Evangelion, and NCIS stories that desperately scream to be finished.) There will be an epilogue after all this is finished—kind of a curtain call for the characters, depending on who survives…and maybe a quick glimpse into the future, in the era of the Word of Blake Jihad. _

_I'll explain more in the next chapter, which will resolve what questions I don't answer in this one. (Don't worry, Bien, I haven't forgotten your character or Felisanna!) And no, this isn't a victory lap for the Snowbirds. There's one more battle left to fight. What, you didn't think I'd forgotten Cavell Malthus or Sudeten, did you?_

_A few quick notes: I'm indebted to James Clavell all over again. There's more than a faint whiff of Blackthorne and Toranaga in this chapter. The line "the definite partiality of Almighty God" is a quote from Rear Admiral Sprague in his after-action report to Nimitz after the Battle of Samar, while the line about "no one throws me my own guns" is from _The Magnificent Seven. _Seems entirely appropriate. A big tip of the Banpei hat to Michael Stackpole, of course—finally got to meet the man two months ago. It was a big inspiration, and this chapter takes place between _Blood Legacy _and_ Lost Destiny.

_And—as always—a HUGE thank you to everyone who's stuck by me all these years, and read and reviewed the Snowbird stories. I hope this story is worthy of your patience._

* * *

_Unity Palace, Imperial City_

_Luthien, Pesht District, Draconis Combine_

_10 January 3052_

Sheila Arla-Vlata felt her stomach churn as she waited. She had been brought here by a court chamberlain and asked, very politely, to wait. That had only been a few minutes ago, but it already felt like hours. All she wanted to do was leave, as quick as she could, be back on the _Minerva_, and heading back home, if home was still there.

She felt terrible, though not as bad as she had been feeling. After the battle on Kagoshima had ended, she had come down with something that had put her in bed for two days, half-delirious and so sick she could barely stand. Rainbow Levine had told her it was simply overwork and exhaustion, and had told her bed rest would resolve the situation, along with a few antihistamines and maybe an aspirin or two. Elfa had taken charge of the cleanup from the siege of Toriiyama, along with Ryuken-ni's commander, Misayoshi Kittakyushu. The latter had been unbelievably affable and seemed almost apologetic, as if he hadn't meant to impose on the Snowbirds' fight to the death with the 17th Jaguar Regulars.

Beyond the door guarded by two impassive, statue-like guardsmen in full samurai armor was the receiving room of the _Gunjei no Kanrei,_ the Warlord of the Draconis Combine, Theodore Kurita. He was not the realm's ruler: that would be Takashi Kurita, the Coordinator, but Sheila knew Takashi would rather be dead than speak to a lowly mercenary such as her. The Coordinator's pride—and pride was everything to a samurai—was undoubtedly already badly damaged by the week prior to Sheila's arrival: the Battle of Luthien, already attaining legendary status. The Federated Commonwealth had retaken the planets of Twycross and Planting, but had later lost both again. The Combine had kept the planet of Wolcott free of Smoke Jaguar conquest, but that had been largely due to trickery and the incompetence of the Jaguar commander. Now the Combine had stopped cold a combined Jaguar/Nova Cat invasion of their own capital, and thrown the invaders offplanet.

Actually, they had done it twice—Luthien and Kagoshima. In both cases, however, House Kurita had needed mercenaries to help them. Sheila knew that had to be galling to a nation whose hatred of "hireswords" was legendary.

The doors opened and both samurai crashed to attention immediately. It was the chamberlain again. He half-turned and bowed Sheila through the door, though she noticed that his bow was just enough to be correct. Obviously, he wasn't liking this. _Screw him,_ Sheila thought morosely, and walked through the doors like she owned the place. She was wearing her dress uniform, all white and blue with a long, flowing cape, and at six feet tall she towered over the chamberlain. He hurried to get ahead of her. To Sheila's surprise, they were in a hallway, not a room, flanked on either side by _shoji_ ricepaper walls. Just reaching the door ahead of her long-legged stride, he knelt, slid the door open, shuffled in, motioned her through the door, and closed the door behind her, remaining in place.

Sheila half-expected a throne room of sorts, with a hundred samurai arrayed in flanks, ready to die and/or kill for the Kanrei like in a hundred bad samurai holofilms she'd seen. While the room was large, there were no samurai that she could see. Instead, the only people present were Theodore Kurita, who sat alone on a raised dais, and a young woman Sheila recognized as Omi Kurita. Both were dressed in silk kimonos and were kneeling on tatami mats; Omi sat behind a low table with what Sheila recognized as a tea caddy. The room smelled pleasantly of jasmine.

One tatami mat was empty, directly in front and below of Theodore. Sheila, feeling extremely self-conscious, walked forward, stopped, bowed deeply, held the bow until she saw it returned, then knelt on the mat. The sudden intake of breath behind her indicated that she had committed a faux pas, but Theodore only smiled. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant Commander Arla-Vlata." To Sheila's relief, Theodore spoke in English: her Japanese was fair, but she didn't trust it here. He also didn't stumble over her last name, which was guaranteed to give headaches to a native Japanese speaker, as that language lacked 'l' and 'r' sounds. The chamberlain had made a pot mess of it.

"You remember my daughter Omi-san," Theodore said, and Sheila saw Omi bow deeply and respectfully. Sheila pivoted and returned the bow with equal importance. Omi smiled as she straightened, and Sheila felt herself smile back. Her kimono was a soft blue trimmed in white, its pattern accenuated with cranes. The pattern was distinctly similar to her own uniform, and Sheila wondered if that was deliberate.

"Of course," Sheila replied. "How are you, Omi-san?"

"I am well," she said, very formally. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please." Sheila hated tea, but to refuse the request would be a mortal insult, and Theodore had all the legal right in the world to kill her for doing so. As friendly as everyone was, Sheila had to remind herself that the Combine was still very much a closed society, where MechWarriors could slay a peasant with no legal repercussions and a fine warrior like Kahvi Falx could be discriminated against for the crime of her gender.

Omi poured the tea into a tiny cup, every move carefully planned to be as quiet and polite as possible. She offered the cup to Sheila, who did respectfully refuse this time, insisting that it should be given instead to Theodore. This was part of the ritual, which Sheila had been coached on by Kahvi. Theodore also refused the cup, and eventually Sheila accepted as the guest. It was a tradition that dated back a millenia, each side assuring the other than no insult was intended. She sipped the tea. It wasn't bad, but she would've preferred coffee.

To Sheila's surprise, Theodore did not engage in another Japanese tradition—making light, meaningless conversation before getting to the subject at hand. In his culture, that was done as an icebreaker. Instead, he came to the point, once he had his own tea. "Commander, I find myself in quite an unenviable position with you." Sheila wasn't sure what to say to that, so she stayed silent. "We were able to repulse the invaders here on Luthien only with the help of the Kell Hounds and Wolf's Dragoons—mercenaries. As you know, we would have not accepted such help had it not been absolutely necessary."

Sheila didn't wonder at that. Both the Kell Hounds and the Dragoons had considerable bad blood with House Kurita, and both commanders of those units had essentially a blood vendetta with Coordinator Takashi, though not with his son. Once more, it had taken the legendary cunning of Hanse Davion, who had responded to Theodore's indirect request for help by sending the two units. A cynic would say that Davion had done it solely to irk Takashi, but Sheila believed it was because Hanse knew that the Hounds and the Dragoons were the best regiments he had in reserve. Davion had been able to set aside 300 years of enmity to help Kurita; Sheila wondered if the reverse was true.

"Not long after we repulsed the Nova Cats and the Smoke Jaguars here," Theodore continued, "I learn that Kagoshima was saved from being overrun, _also_ by mercenaries. It puts me in a bit of a position, Commander."

Sheila tried to read Theodore's face, but it was blank. She wet suddenly dry lips. "Sir," she said carefully, "it wouldn't be right to give all the credit to the Snowbirds. The Sun Zhang Cadre was there too. And Toriiyama would've fallen had it not been for your diversion of a battalion of Ryuken-ni to relieve us."

"You are far too modest, Commander." Theodore sipped his tea. "I hate to speak ill of the dead, especially of such an august personality as Hector Satoridon, but the fact remains that he marched his battalion into a trap. You recognized that, found good ground, and held against repeated attacks. Yes, Ryuken-ni arrived in the nick of time, but from what Tai-sa Kittakyushu tells me, the Smoke Jaguars were already decimated, their commander dead at your hands, and your lines still holding fast."

"The Tai-sa is too kind." Sheila meant that, too.

"Then what would you attribute Toriiyama's final defense to, Commander?" Theodore's eyes were piercing.

"Four factors, sir. One, the stand of Felisanna in the defile on the northeast corner. Two, the heroic defense of Toriiyama village by David Moore's tanks and Peter Nicholas. Three, air support from the Kagoshima militia. And four…" Sheila shook her head "…four, the definite partiality of Almighty God." She wondered if that might offend the Kanrei and Omi, who were both Buddhists, but it was nothing less than the truth as far as she was concerned.

"You left out your own leadership." Theodore stabbed the teacup at her. "No false modesty, Commander. Gaul was conquered not by Rome's legions, but by Caesar. _You_ provided the leadership. _You_ planned the defense. And you _held_, at great sacrifice, a place you didn't have to."

"It was my duty."

Theodore paused at that. He sat back on his haunches, and the room was silent for a moment. "That's the answer I would expect from a samurai."

"I'm no samurai, Kanrei."

"True. You're a mercenary. Nowhere in your contract does it state you had to defend Kagoshima. The Snowbirds were already battered from New Caledonia. You could have simply loaded up your DropShips at any time and abandoned Kagoshima. You would have spared many lives. Yes, Kagoshima would've fallen—to a vainglorious fool of a Smoke Jaguar who didn't have the forces or the skills to hold the planet against a counterattack I would've launched the moment Luthien was declared secure. You could be on your way back to Federated Commonwealth space. I would not have criticized such a decision. Nor would your own superiors. You had no orders, and it made no military sense to fortify Toriiyama after the Sun Zhang was destroyed in Greenfields. Yet you did so, and when I ask why, you claim it was your duty?"

Sheila was confused. She hadn't expected the Kuritans to be exactly pleased with the fact that one of their planets still belonged to them because of a lowly mercenary commander, but she had expected at the least a pat on the back, a bow or two, and a polite invitation to get the hell out of the Combine. The invitation to Luthien for the survivors of Toriiyama had come as a bit of a surprise, and her own personal invitation to the Imperial Palace a very big one. Now it sounded as if Theodore was criticizing her. A glance at Omi showed that her expression was still placid, though Sheila thought she detected a bit of shock there, too. "I don't know what to say," Sheila finally said.

"It's a simple question, Commander. Why?"

"Because I'm here to fight the Clans, sir." Sheila kept her voice even with every ounce of her self-control. Theodore disparaging her good sense she could handle: she had asked herself the same questions several times over the course of the siege and on the trip to Luthien. But to make a mockery of all those dead bodies that littered the slopes of Toriiyama was almost more than she could stand. "It doesn't matter where, or how, or when. I wasn't leaving the people of Kagoshima to the tender mercies of the Jaguars. I've been the Clans' prisoner, sir. It wasn't a pleasant experience." She saw his eyes involuntarily flick down to her artificial arm.

Theodore gave the slightest of nods. "Perhaps. Nonetheless, you had given a full measure before the final attack. From what I understand from your after-action report, Star Colonel Furey gave you the opportunity to retreat and even killed a Snowbird prisoner when you refused."

Sheila didn't know what to say to that, but then suddenly remembered an old saying of her father's. "Sir, with respect. No one throws me my own guns and tells me to run. Nobody."

Theodore's eyes widened at that, then suddenly he smiled. Then he began to laugh. Uproariously. He slapped his thigh with mirth. Omi looked from Sheila to her father, a smile on her lips, unsure if she should join in the laughter or not. Sheila, for her part, struggled to keep her composure. _Half my battalion is dead, you son of a bitch,_ she thought, _and nearly all the Sun Zhang Cadre. The Kagoshima militia took nearly sixty percent losses. These people would kill each other for a smile from you or your bastard of a father, and you're laughing at them._ Involuntarily, her steel hand clenched with an audible groan of servomotors and myomer muscles, and Sheila blanched, once more quite aware that if Theodore was offended by that, he could have her easily killed.

She still wanted to punch him in the face.

Theodore noticed the movement and the darkening of Sheila's expression. He ceased laughing, and became somber. He then bowed to Sheila, much deeper than a man of his rank had any reason to. "Forgive me, Commander. I had forgotten you are unfamiliar with our customs. I laugh not to make light of what happened on Kagoshima. I know of your losses. In a unit of the Snowbirds' size, such losses are like those of a family.

"Here, in the Draconis Combine, however, we laugh in the face of tragedy, to defy it, to empty ourselves of the hate, sorrow, and anger over so many good men and women dying. I laugh because in the past three weeks, mercenaries have shown the people of the Combine the meaning of honor and duty. The Kell Hounds and the Wolf's Dragoons had no reason to come to Luthien. They too risked being wiped out. The victory was far from guaranteed. You saw the damage on the way in?"

"Yes, sir." The Kadoguchi Valley, a long, wide glacial valley that formed a natural highway to Imperial City, had been literally filled with destroyed 'Mechs. The battle had ended four days before, but the valley was still covered in smoke. The wreckage of war stretched from the dropzones of the Clans to the very gates of the city. Sheila didn't have to see any after-action reports to know that the deaths had to number in the thousands. But they had held, and won.

"No one, not I, not my father, not even Hanse Davion would have held it against Morgan Kell or Jaime Wolf if they had told Davion to take his orders and go to hell. Yet, despite all that exists between us in death and revenge, Kell and Wolf came here and sacrificed hundreds of good men and women to save the capital of a House that for twenty years they have called enemy—because it was their duty and they believed that the threat of the Clans far outweighs the petty differences of Successor States over a long-empty throne." Theodore sighed; Sheila had a feeling he had been wanting to say those words for some time. His eyes had grown distant, but now they focused on her. "And a nineteen year old woman decides that she will not run, that she will destroy an enemy because that is her duty, no matter what a piece of paper says, and that if necessary she will die with her teeth in an arrogant murderer's throat. _That_ is the soul of a samurai, Arla-Vlata Sheila-san, and I laugh because you do not or will not realize it." He turned to Omi and spoke in rapid-fire Japanese. She bowed with military precision, stood, walked to a side door, knelt, opened the door, then disappeared through it, sliding the door shut. Sheila sneaked a look behind her: at some point, the chamberlain had left as well. She was alone with the commander of House Kurita's armies, and Sheila didn't need Kahvi Falx or Miroku Usagi there to tell her what an honor that was.

They sat in silence, drinking their tea, for only a minute or two, then Omi returned. Once more going through the cycle of kneeling and opening/closing the door, she walked with little, silent steps to her father, holding something wrapped in heavy silk. She knelt, and carefully unwrapped the silks to expose two swords. Reverently, she offered them to Theodore, who took both. Setting down the short wakazashi, he inspected the katana. The sheath shone in the light, in lacquered black. Omi went around him to kneel at his left, taking hold of the sheath. The sword's blade came free with a pop, and its steel gleamed. Theodore was careful never to breathe directly on the sword, nor to let his fingers touch it, resting it instead on the sleeve of his kimono.

"When a student graduates from Sun Zhang Academy," he spoke, "he or she is presented with a katana and a wakizashi. The katana is to affirm that the student is no longer a child, but an adult, a samurai. The wakazashi is there to remind the samurai of the price he or she may one day be called upon to pay. These swords are specially forged on Kagoshima at the Kurita family's personal forge by our personal swordsmiths. The swords I wear—" he nodded at the twin blades that had been at his side the entire time "—are no different than the lowliest _Tai-i_." He inspected the blade professionally. "There was no time to forge a sword for you, Arla-Vlata Sheila-san. _Chu-sa_ Usagi Miroku hoped that these blades might prove adequate."

Sheila barely held in a gasp. Miroku Usagi had carried his swords into battle during the entire campaign, and rarely was he without them. During one of the lulls, Sheila had overheard him telling Marion Rhialla that the swords had been in his family for fifteen generations. "But what about Usagi?" she blurted. She hoped that the old man had not decided to kill himself. He and the six other Sun Zhang survivors had proudly marched their colors off the _Minerva_ when they arrived on Luthien, but Usagi might have felt shamed that there were only seven left out of what had nearly been forty.

Theodore smiled. "I have presented _Tai-sa_ Usagi—" he emphasized the new rank "—with a pair of my family's own swords when he gave up his own. He felt that was good enough." Theodore slid the blade into its scabbard, still held reverently by Omi. Taking the katana in both hands, he leaned forward, offering it to Sheila. Her fingers trembling, Sheila reached out and gently took it, returning the bow she was given. It was repeated with the wakizashi. "Remember this, Arla-Vlata Sheila-san," Theodore intoned, "the sword is the soul of a samurai. If she forgets or loses it, she shall never be excused."

Sheila bowed again. "Thank you very much, _Tono._" She used the word for liege lord, though she herself acknowledged none; the moment seemed to call for it.

"It is merely the first of many. In gratitude to the Snowbirds for their actions on Kagoshima, every member of the unit will also receive swords, specially made. After all, one could say that they have indeed graduated from the Sun Zhang Academy's hardest course." He laughed at that, and this time Sheila joined in, able to see the humor in it. "Moreover, any son or daughter of the Snowbirds, living or dead, shall be allowed to attend Sun Zhang on a scholarship, should they wish to—and should they decide not to, House Kurita will nevertheless pay their tuition at a school of their choice."

Sheila tried to find the words and failed. "We don't—sir, this is incredible—"

"No," Theodore corrected her. "It's a very small installment on the debt of blood this nation owes the Snowbirds, Commander." He stood, and thrust the swords into his sash expertly. Sheila copied the movement, and knew she had gotten it right by Theodore's nod. "A samurai should never expect anything in return for doing his or her duty, Commander. That said, it does rather please _this_ liege lord to give such recognition." He led her to the door; the chamberlain appeared as if by magic. "There will be a formal dinner tonight at 1600. You will be escorted there."

Sheila knew she was being dismissed. Everything seemed like a dream, now. She bowed deeply, and had it returned. She was just about to leave when Theodore spoke again. "By the way, Commander, that saying—about the guns?"

"Yes sir. My father said that."

"I know. He said it at the siege of Ziegenhain on Morningside, where he faced a battlion of the Legion of Vega that was raiding the planet. As I recall, he was offered safe passage if his two companies of Sentinels would only leave the repair facility."

"Yes, sir. That's true."

"Do you know the name of the Kurita commander he said it to? The commander was a headstrong young man who thought he knew everything."

Sheila shook her head. "No, sir."

The Kanrei's smile was huge. "Theodore Kurita."


	2. Saving Souls

_**SNOWBIRD TRIUMPHANT**_

_**The Last Chapter of the Snowbird Saga**_

_AUTHOR'S NOTES: A short chapter this time, as I'm going on vacation next week. I felt this chapter was strong enough to stand on its own, plus (as some people pointed out) there are some nagging unanswered questions not addressed by the end of _Snowbird's Last Stand.

_As Morgan Kell figures prominently in this chapter, I hope I wrote him right. When I talked with Michael Stackpole back in May, he downplayed how unbalancing Phantom 'Mech really is, but he did bring up one point: that Phantom 'Mech would probably bother its _user_ more than its victims. As Yutaka Yokota pointed out in _The Kaiten Weapon,_ it's very hard to live after you've resigned yourself to die. There are some references here to _Warrior: Riposte, _but if you haven't read that book, don't worry about it._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER:_

_DFT: Thank you, I will!_

_FraserMage: I hope so!_

_PacificUser: This chapter should resolve all your questions. Well, most of them, anyway…_

_Rogue: Well, Theodore Kurita is no fool, and realized that saving the Combine was a bit more important than his dad's vendetta. And nope, Cavell is still around. He'll get one more swing at the Sentinels for sure._

_Texray: Thank you very much. This should answer some of the questions you had in the e-mail you sent…the next chapter will resolve all the other unfinished business from Kagoshima, but that'll have to wait until after vacation._

_MUSIC CORNER: I didn't have one of these last time. Oh well. For this chapter, try "Woodbrook" by Michael O'Sullibheain or "Sentimental" by Kenny G. (Yes, I listen to Kenny G. And Enya.)_

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_Kadoguchi Valley_

_Luthien, Pesht District, Draconis Combine_

_11 January 3052_

Felisanna hesitated at the sight of the man she had come to speak to. He was older than her mother had been, older even than Marion Rhialla, and she had no problem talking back to either of them. Well, perhaps not Rhialla—but this man frankly intimidated her. He turned at her approach, and his smile was surprisingly gentle for a man of his height, build, and reputation. Felisanna felt very small, seeing herself in his eyes: a woman dressed in too-casual clothes, with pink hair that had grown out enough to be shocking.

The man stuck out his hand. "Felisanna? I'm Morgan Kell."

"Sir." Felisanna took the hand and shook it once. "I'm sorry to disturb you, sir. I know you're busy with getting your regiment back in order to leave Luthien."

"It's not a problem. Not after I read Commander Arla-Vlata's after-action report." He waved her to a bench. They were in a small park overlooking the Kadoguchi Valley. It had escaped the damage of the battle, and was quite peaceful, as long as one didn't look too far over the cliffside, where the remains of the Clan 'Mechs still smoked. "I hope you didn't have too much trouble getting out here, but I felt we should have some privacy."

"No, sir, and yes, sir, I understand the need for privacy." Felisanna glanced down the winding path. In the parking lot below the path was a rented hovercar; behind the wheel was Bien Canonizado. Despite the horrific damage his _Victor_ had taken, and the fact that he had been out cold for two days with a concussion, he was otherwise unhurt. He was Dispossessed, but so were a lot of other Snowbirds, and that was preferable to being dead.

Kell took a seat across from her. "Felisanna, I want you to describe to me exactly what happened to you in that ravine on the last day of the siege."

Felisanna did. It wasn't hard: she had relived those moments constantly in the days since the battle. After Ryuken-ni had helped the Snowbirds secure Toriyama, everyone had been stunned to find Felisanna not only alive, but surrounded by the wrecks of three Clan 'Mechs, including the _Mad Cat_ of Star Captain Dougray. Her _Ryoken_ had been badly damaged and had shut down from overheating, but it was still operational. When jubilant MechWarriors had asked her how she had done it, Felisanna attributed her survival to a few lucky shots and the superior mobility of the _Ryoken_; she also said Dougray had lost his temper and done a few stupid moves. Everyone believed her. She found, however, that she couldn't lie to Sheila, and had unburdened herself in Sheila's tiny stateroom aboard the _Minerva_ on the way to Luthien. Sheila had agreed to type up two after-action reports: one for general distribution that included Felisanna's false story, and a top secret one that told the truth as best she knew. It was the latter that Sheila had given Morgan Kell, and it had been Kell who had asked to meet with her.

When Felisanna was finished, Kell fingered his beard. "It sounds right."

"What does, sir?"

Kell didn't answer immediately, instead looking past her for a minute or two. Finally, he said, "Felisanna, have you know anything about Mallory's World, or my battles against Yorinaga Kurita during the Fourth Succession War?"

"No," Felisanna admitted. "I'm, uh, not much of a history fan. That's more Sheila's—er, the Commander's thing."

"I see. I imagine Sheila has heard the stories, and that's how she knew you should talk with me." Kell took a breath. "Felisanna, let me ask again: despite being surrounded by three Clan 'Mechs and standing still most of the time, you nonetheless managed to avoid being hit."

"Well, not completely, sir. If they got close, they beat up on me pretty good."

"Yes, but the majority of their shots missed, despite being at ranges a trainee could hit at."

"Yes, sir."

Kell nodded. "What I'm going to tell you, Felisanna, is beyond top secret. As a matter of fact, you may not believe it yourself. I have no way of telling you exactly what you did, but it is my belief that you've tapped into something one in a million MechWarriors may be capable of. Moreover, of those million, only perhaps one in ten will ever find themselves in the same situation you were in. I've been in 'Mech fights for almost forty years, Felisanna, and I have only known of three men who have ever achieved what you apparently have—Yorinaga Kurita, my brother Patrick, and myself.

"What you have is what barrack-room whispers call Phantom 'Mech. Have you ever heard of it?"

Felisanna swallowed audibly and gave a quick nod. Whispers was the right word, because the tales of Phantom 'Mech were passed around as beer stories, what someone told late at night after a case or two of beer. It belonged strictly in the same category as the tales of MechWarriors who had been abducted by aliens, or zombie _Mackies_ that activated by themselves, or the Minnesota Tribe. Supposedly, Phantom 'Mechs were piloted by MechWarriors who were already dead or dying of mortal wounds. She had heard a story of a "old head" Sentinel MechWarrior—no one had ever been quite able to remember their name—who had suffered a massive, fatal heart attack but yet kept fighting until the battle was over. When his or her 'Mech had been opened up, the MechWarrior's body was cold to the touch, indicating someone long dead. "But…I'm not dead."

Kell laughed softly. "No, you're not dead. Not even close. You've heard the same stories I did when I was still a snot-nosed cadet at the Nagelring, then. But tell me, Felisanna…you were absolutely certain you were _going_ to die, weren't you?"

"Yeah," she replied, too confused to add the sir. She had been completely certain. After the battle was over, she had wandered around Toriyama, literally in a daze. After resigning herself to death and then finding herself alive, it was hard to accept that fact. In some ways, it was a beautiful thing. Felisanna remembered sitting down on the ground outside one of Toriyama's hangars and watching ants rebuild their hill. Everything had been so remarkably clear that she thought she could even see the ants' eyes watching her. Colors seemed brighter, and as the snow began to fall lightly at dusk, she felt she could even count the snowflakes. In other ways, it was frightening, because she kept wondering if she would wake up and find herself looking at her own corpse, or being greeted into the afterlife by her mother, or be standing in front of gates marked with the legend _Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here,_ just like the preachers had drilled into her head when she was little. It had been only in the last two days that Felisanna felt like she had a handle on reality again, something Bien had been there to help with.

"That's where the stories got started. Trust me, Felisanna—I've been there."

"Then…you can do…whatever I did?"

"To a certain extent, yes. Even I have a difficult time with it. It involves tapping into a rather dark place that I prefer not to go to."

"What does your brother do? Or this Yorinaga guy?"

A shadow crossed Kell's face. "They're both dead, Felisanna. My brother was able to 'activate' Phantom 'Mech, for want of a better word, only for a few minutes before he was killed in battle with Yorinaga Kurita. Yorinaga was able to harness it, but eventually…well, he committed suicide, though it had little to do with his ability."

"So it burns you out, huh?"

"It can, if you let it—but that's true of most abilities, Felisanna. As I said, I've known many great MechWarriors in my time, and all of them have suffered burnout at some point. Most get back into the saddle after some time away from combat. Some just walk away from their 'Mechs forever. And, sadly, a few have killed themselves, unable to deal with their demons."

"There's something I didn't put into the report," Felisanna said after a few moments of silence. "It's about Star Captain Dougray." Seeing that Kell was waiting patiently, she continued. "I think he was just frustrated at first. He overheated his _Mad Cat_ twice. But there towards the end—he got scared, Colonel Kell. I think it freaked him out really bad. I don't blame him—I'd pee my pants if I ever ran into a 'Mech that my sensors couldn't lock onto."

"It was probably worse for him, being Clan—and Smoke Jaguar. From what Jaime Wolf tells me, the Jaguars consider themselves modern-day Spartans, and completely fearless in battle," Kell observed.

"Anyway, sir, he tried to retreat. The thing was, I was between him and home base. I mean, Ryuken-ni was already dropping in, so it probably wasn't all me, but the thing was, he tried to get past me. I wouldn't let him. I was faster. He couldn't run away from me, and he couldn't hit me…I think I heard him screaming at me on the radio. I don't remember what he said. Anyway, he finally just ejected." Felisanna toyed with some plants growing at the side of the bench, unable to meet Kell's eyes. "I gunned him in his seat. I know it's wrong. Everything we were taught in training says you don't shoot a guy in his parachute. Mom pretty much told me it was a mortal sin." Her fists clenched. "But I wanted the bastard dead, Colonel. I'm pretty sure he was the guy who shot Mary Scott."

"Revenge is something none of us are ever proud of, Felisanna, but you're only human," Kell reassured her.

"It's worse than that." Felisanna dabbed at her eyes. "I shot prisoners. I know Sheila put it in the report that they tried to escape, but it's a lie. After the Jags killed Mary, I just lined them up and gunned them down. Sheila was going to do it in retaliation, but she couldn't do it. Me…I could, though." Now she began to cry, despite hammering on her knees to make the tears stop. "I just killed them, Colonel. I just shot them down like dogs. And I did the same to this guy. I was laughing, Colonel! I was daring the guy to try to escape!

"Now you tell me I've got some sort of magical or psi power that allows me to be pretty much untouchable on the battlefield. I can't handle that, Colonel. It's like someone telling me I've sold my soul. I mean, I figure I'm going to hell anyway, but…but…" She was bawling now. Kell reached out and drew her into an embrace like she was his own daughter. Felisanna cried bitterly into his shoulder. "What do I do? What in God's sake do I do?" she repeated.

Kell held her until the moment passed, patting her back. "Felisanna," he said gently, "when it first hit me, after Mallory's World, I felt _exactly_ the same way you did. It frightened me so badly I felt I had to lock myself away from the Inner Sphere—from everyone, even the woman I loved, even my brother. It was the biggest mistake I ever made, and I know I will one day answer for it in front of the Almighty, but at the time, I didn't know what else to do. I felt that, to return to battle, I would indeed lose my soul to utter darkness."

Felisanna drew back. "But you did."

"Yes. Because I realized that this ability, while it may be as much a curse as a blessing, did not have to define who I am. I have tried to be a good commander of the Kell Hounds, and a good husband, and a good father—and for the most part, I think I have succeeded in that. _That_ defines me, Felisanna. Not my ability to kill and not be killed in return." Kell sighed. "But my truth doesn't have to be your truth."

They sat in silence awhile. "So what's your advice, sir?" Felisanna finally asked.

"You need some time to deal with this. The Snowbirds will be returning to Commonwealth space within a few weeks, probably with us in the Hounds. Last I heard, the Sentinels were still on Sudeten. My advice would be to take those weeks, find a peaceful place here on Luthien, and stay there awhile."

"Where did you go?"

"A monastery—St. Marinus House, on Zaniah III."

Felisanna's mouth quirked into a smile. "I don't think I have it in me to be a nun."

Kell returned the smile. "I didn't have what it took to be a monk either. But while St. Marinus is a good place to find oneself, there are thousands of places in the Inner Sphere to do that." He looked at the sky—blue sky, which was rare on Luthien in the best of times. "I think this war will be over soon, Felisanna. The Clans simply don't have the numbers to keep trying assaults like they did here, and it's just going to get harder for them. We're learning, and they know it. Even the Wolves are struggling on Satalice, and the Jade Falcons will be in for a huge fight on Sudeten. From what Jaime tells me, the Clans are divided internally as well—and a house divided against itself cannot stand.

"My advice would be to find that quiet place, and try to come to grips with this. Don't be afraid to walk away from being a MechWarrior, either. Sometimes, that's for the best…and you've certainly earned it if that's what you choose to do." He reached out and gripped her shoulders. "Just remember, Felisanna, that this ability you have can be used for great good as well. Don't be afraid of it, but make sure that you can control it."

Felisanna slowly nodded. "If I decide to go off and find myself, like you said…do I have to do it alone?"

"You're married?" She shook her head. Kell stroked his beard again in thought. "Is he a good man?"

"Yes. He's a very good man."

"Then bring him with you, if he's willing. The worst part of what I did when I fled to Zaniah III was not to tell my love what I was doing. She would have helped me far more easily than I helped myself." He chuckled. "I was lucky. She waited for me."

Felisanna got to her feet, as did Kell. "Thank you, Colonel. Thank you…" She hesitated, then hugged him. "You saved my life."

Kell watched her walk down the path and smiled to himself. "Saving a life…" he mused to himself. "It's not something I've often done."


	3. Going Home

_AUTHOR'S NOTES: Back from vacation with another chapter. This was hard to write, because it's very bittersweet, and I also wanted to give each surviving character at least a mention. It's been a long road for the Snowbirds, but it's coming to an end. Hopefully this ties up the last of the loose ends from the Battle of Toriiyama._

_Next chapter will see the return of Cavell Malthus and Sheila's father Calla. Things are going to get hot on Sudeten._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER:_

_Kat: Thanks; I'm glad you enjoyed the battle. I really need to get to reading your stuff again…_

"_Reader": As usual with anonymous reviews, I'm never sure if I'm dealing with genuine criticism or a troll. I'll go with genuine criticism, because you make a valid point. I wouldn't call it a "fetish." I like strong women, and can't stand either women who bitch and cry all the time, or those who have to find someone to hide behind. For that matter, I can't stand men who are like that, either. We don't like people like that in real life, so why would you want to read about them?_

_And was Dougray really a "stronger" man for Felisanna to overcome and kill? On the contrary. He shot Mary Scott in the back. He pushed his commander's buttons in order to gain personal glory and get his personal enemies in front of a bullet. When he finally came up against something he couldn't handle, he lost his temper, then his nerve, then his life. Dougray was, in short, a jerk. I wrote him that way, because every antagonist (in this case, Char Furey) needs a Wyrmtongue whispering in his ear. Dougray represented the worst of Smoke Jaguar culture; Furey characterized the misguided honor of the typical Clan Crusader, and Thom the voice of reason. _

_You may notice that of the enemies of the Snowbird Saga, the worst one so far was not a man, but a woman: Athena Henderson. It wasn't a man who drove Sheila to the brink of madness, committed genocide, and plotted against her own commanding officer. _

_The Snowbird Saga is ultimately about the coming of age of Sheila Arla-Vlata, but it's also a love story. Sheila would be dead several times over without Max. That's a mutually strong relationship, and, IMHO, the way things should be. Both are, I hope, equally strong characters. _

_If I have a "fetish," it's in triumphing over long odds—what heroes and heroines are made of. My characters just happen to be mostly female, because I enjoy writing them. _

_MUSIC DEPARTMENT: "Roll Tide" from _Crimson Tide, _"Going Home" by Kenny G, and "Arrival to Earth" from _Transformers.

* * *

_SDS _Minerva

_Luthien, Pesht District, Draconis Combine_

_12 January 3052_

Sheila and Max had been offered more comfortable quarters in Imperial City, but they found they had grown to see the cramped, somewhat rumpled quarters aboard the DropShip as home. The little bed was barely enough for one person, let alone two, but they enjoyed the closeness. As Max said, it was cozy. After Kagoshima, Sheila had either been too exhausted or sick for the two of them to make love, but now that they were on Luthien and she was feeling better, they were making up for lost time.

Or would have been, if not for the insistent knocking on their cabin door. Sheila gave vent to a flood of vociferous cursing, covered herself in a towel, and cracked open the door. "What?" she demanded.

Frederick Matria stood there patiently, grinning. He had been doing a lot of that since Kagoshima, his faith in the fax restored by the near-miraculous arrival of Ryuken-ni. "Sorry, Sheila. Message just came in, priority flash."

Sheila growled under her breath. Priority flash traffic meant she would need to be there when Matria decrypted it, since her passwords would be needed. "Fine. Be there in a minute."

Matria shrugged. "Y'know, Sheila, it can probably wait a _few_ minutes…"

"No, I'll be there in a minute," she repeated, and shut the door.

Max suddenly enfolded her from behind. "You could wait."

Though her body burned for her husband, she shook her head. "I wouldn't be able to concentrate."

Max sighed, then slapped her bottom. "Okay, go do commander stuff. I'll be waiting her with bells on."

"Didn't know you were into that sort of thing," Sheila smiled, and got dressed. Five minutes later, she was in Matria's cubbyhole of a communications room. With mounting horror, they decrypted the message, which had been sent by ComStar channels by the Federated Commonwealth to all units; Sheila was sure that probably Wolf's Dragoons and the Kell Hounds were also busy working on the same message. When it was done, Sheila stared down at the message, printed out for all to see.

"Fred," Sheila said after some moments, "call together the battalion. Everyone. No excuses for absence."

* * *

It took forty-five minutes, but at last the surviving members of the Snowbirds were drawn up on the wet tarmac of Luthien's Urizen Kurita DropPort, before the towering _Minerva._ The rain fell in a mist.

Sheila strode out of the _Minerva,_ now in full uniform, with Soryu's swords jammed into her belt. She held up the message. "Snowbirds, I just received this message from home. There's no way to put this easy, so I'm just going to say it. Sudeten was hit by the Jade Falcons on January 5—a week ago." She paused to let that sink in.

She looked out on their faces, these people she knew and had grown to know over the past few months. They felt closer to her now than her own family. So many faces were missing now than had been there when they had left Sudeten: Kaatha and Bob Copeland. Mary Scott. Peter Nicholas, who had fought to the death with Star Captain Zellos in the ruins of Rainbow Levine's village. Michelangelo Burke, who had been killed in the pursuit of the remnants of the 17th Jaguars, dead in a battle already won. Henri Fromage, who had never regained consciousness after being shot off his Von Luckner tank.

Those that were still alive waited for her, so Sheila continued. "Jaime Wolf got the same message. The Dragoons are too shot up to lend a hand, as are the Kell Hounds. However, Wolf has a command circuit of JumpShips set up as far back as Morningside, and he's offered to let us use it. That's only a jump away from Sudeten. It'll take us another week to get back, if we're lucky."

Sheila walked down the line, watching their faces. "I know we're pretty shot up ourselves, and we're probably no less tired than the Dragoons or the Hounds. But there's a difference: that's not just our regiment on Sudeten, but also our families, our loved ones, and our friends. I think we have to go back. Maybe we'll get there in time to do some good—maybe we won't, but we have to try." Sheila paused. "All of you have given the fullest measure of your blood to the Snowbirds and the Sentinels. No one's going to criticize you if you step out now. You've earned that right, a hundred times over. I don't want to ask you to step back into the shit—especially those of you who joined to fight with the Snowbirds more than you joined the Sentinels. But as for me, I want to go home…and right now, home is the Sentinels, and it's under attack. Even if it's only to go back to die, I want to go home.

"Those of you who want to stay, I've talked with Colonel Wolf, and he's willing to give you a lift back to Outreach when the Dragoons go. That's as good a place as any to catch a new ride with another regiment. Those of you who are coming with me, be ready to raise ship in three hours."

She stopped. There was nothing else to say, so she walked back to the ramp of the _Minerva_, where she halted and Max waited, and turned around, curious as to how many would come with her. A holovid might have the Snowbirds cheering her, but there were no cheers in the rain. A holovid might have also had everyone charge aboard the _Minerva_ in one big mass, everyone eager to go and be at grips with the enemy one more time. Yet this was no holovid, and the Snowbirds were not actors and actresses, but tired, wet, and exhausted warriors who wanted nothing more than to forget the war for at least a few months. Instead, Sheila was asking them, again, to go on a mission where this time, none of them might return. As a result, each person made their own decision—some privately, some after talking it over with others, and slowly, those that were going with Sheila crossed the tarmac and went up the ramp—as if the ramp marked the line in the sand that Sheila had metaphorically drawn. Sheila watched them come forward and go past, what might be the Snowbirds' first and only pass in review before their commander.

* * *

Senefa Malthus was first. Somehow Sheila wasn't surprised. The Clan warrior, her leg still in a compression cast and balancing on crutches, hobbled past. She paused and put out a gloved hand. Sheila took it, then drew her into a hug. No words needed to be spoken. Senefa had pledged her life and her liberty to Sheila, and would never leave her side. She thumped up the ramp.

As if afraid of being outdone, Mimi Stykkis also limped up the ramp, also on her crutches, though hers were permanent. Like Senefa, she paused by Sheila. "Like I could stay here," she mused. "These damn Kuritans would drive me bonkers." Sheila smiled, and Mimi took the ramp faster than Senefa.

Fred Matria was next. "Better get to work on sending a reply," he said, and was gone up the ramp. Sheila watched him go, amazed that she had once thought of never having the former Planting resistance member in her unit.

Tessya Blackthorn walked past, quickly followed by Philip Scott. The two had formally married aboard the _Minerva_ three days before, this time with Captain Baron doing the honors. "Now I know what Gall felt like," she murmured as she walked past. Sheila remembered: the Lacotah Indian chief who had proclaimed that it was a good day to die as he rode into battle against George Custer.

"Maybe we can be the Zulus this time," Ariel Munroe grinned as she walked past Sheila and Max, getting her back slapped by the latter. She still looked like a burn victim, swathed in bandages, but her walk was steady and graceful.

Chuck Badaxe sauntered up the ramp, his hands in his pockets, whistling as if he was off to the movies. Maria Thyatis, who had been hanging back, suddenly ran up next to him and put her arm in his. They smiled at each other, and Sheila idly noted that this was the first time Maria had run to Chuck.

Cecilia Masterson fairly stomped up the ramp. "As if I'd miss a chance to kill more Clanners." Her words were laced with venom: CeeCee would never forgive the Clans for the death of her lover on New Caledonia. Wolves, Jaguars, or Falcons, Masterson would have blood.

Maysa Bari and Daniel Polycutt went up the ramp holding hands. Sheila would've been very surprised if they hadn't: the Sentinels really _were_ Maysa's family, even if Dan occupied that partially now as well.

Glynnis Griffin walked up to Sheila. "Think you could talk Teddy Kurita into giving me another _Panther_?" she asked. Sheila laughed softly and nodded, which was returned by Glynnis as she went up the ramp. It would be her third 'Mech since she joined the Snowbirds.

Robert Drakon also stopped in front of Sheila, but he was silent at first. "Robert?" she asked. "You and Betsy could stay here. Betsy won't be out of sickbay for another month."

"The Federated Commonwealth is _our_ home," Drakon responded, a little hotly. "We'll go back, even if only I can fight."

Shasti Buena winked at Sheila as she went past, then winced in pain. It wasn't from battle injuries: she had gotten another tattoo to commemorate surviving Kagoshima, the Snowbirds' crest emblazoned on her back. On a dare, she had gotten it done in the old Japanese fashion, with a bamboo needle. She was still hurting, but as she had told everyone in earshot when she had "unveiled" her new tattoo, it was worth it.

Megan O'Reilly shrugged as she walked up the ramp. "I'm out of cigars anyway," she rasped, "so I might as well go. Can't dance, field's too wet to plow…"

Nisa Kinosh said nothing as she ascended the ramp. She had said very little since Kagoshima, and Sheila suspected why. There never had really been any question about Kinosh, just as there had been none about Senefa or Maysa. Above all the other Snowbirds, Nisa had sworn an oath, and she meant to keep it. Sheila wondered if part of her grim determination was also for a desire for revenge.

Dennis Dorinson and Fianna Cassidy didn't pay any attention to Sheila at all. Instead, they were locked in their usual argument, swapping insults in Gaelic. Sheila and Max shared a small smile, both wondering if Dorinson and Cassidy actually thought they were fooling anyone. A lot of couples had hooked up during Operation Rubicon, and the betting pool had it that the next couple to ask for Sheila or Baron to marry them would be the two hot-tempered Northwinders. Of course, as Max had said, they'd better make it quick, or Cassidy would be asking for a wedding dress in maternity size.

The rest went past: Michael Vragel, Tam Seneca, Troms Fiordur, Brefudd Dari, Fabian Cynmar, John Lawson, Jacqueline Shaw, Archibald Backs, Eric Sykes, Natasha Tal. Kinosh's infantry platoon, down to 15 from the 28 that had left Sudeten. The tank crews, each their own self-contained family unit that MechWarriors would never understand. The fighter pilots, once more led by Virginia Lossiemouth, though she too had to limp up the ramp, leaning on the shoulders of Victor dal-Windas and Terrence d'Sotra: Karl Baum, Robert Engram, Gary Honington, Cinda Scampton. They too had paid a heavy price on Kagoshima; only half of what had been Fighter Squadron Six would be returning home.

* * *

That left only a few left on the tarmac. Kahvi Falx had made a few hesitant steps towards the _Minerva,_ but each time had held back. She made a visible determination, walked towards the ramp, then faltered. "Kahvi," Sheila said gently, "you don't have to go. This is your home." Sheila motioned towards the distant spires of Imperial City. "I don't think even your father would have a problem with you now. Certainly Sun Zhang wouldn't." Miroku Usagi had told Sheila that Kahvi could probably write her own ticket with the DCMS now—certainly the warriors of Ryuken-ni had been impressed by her, and the few survivors of the Sun Zhang Cadre practically worshipped her.

Kahvi made one glance back at the city, bit her lip, then shook her head, her braids flying. "No." She walked up the ramp. "This is my home now."

Elfa Brownoak waddled toward the ramp. She was in civilian clothes: not even Nicia Caii's tailor skills could alter a uniform able to safely contain the heavily pregnant Elfa now. She had seen an obstetrician as soon as the Snowbirds had made planetfall, who had been pleasantly surprised to find the twins to be quite healthy, considering they'd been through four battles now. Still, he had been very adamant that Elfa would not see the inside of a 'Mech cockpit for at least six months. The babies were now due any day, something Sheila knew, which was why she raised a hand. "Elfa, no. You're staying here. You and Tooriu both." Sheila abruptly remembered that she hadn't seen Tooriu in the crowd; he'd be hard to miss.

"That is a hell of a thing for you to say to me," Elfa snapped quietly at Sheila. "My babies were concieved in the Sentinels, and by God that's where they'll be born. I may not be able to fight in a 'Mech, but I can command from the rear, dammit!"

"But the doc said that even a jump might—"

"Screw the doctor. I'm going."

"Where's Tooriu?" Max asked.

"In the damn DropShip, where else?" Elfa rolled her eyes. "He may love me, you two, but he loves this unit more—you especially, Sheila. You'd have an easier time keeping that maniac Senefa off the ship—_or_ me, for that matter." She swept past Sheila and entered the _Minerva_ like a queen into her throne room.

* * *

Marion Rhialla had hung back as well, but only for a moment. She stood in front of Miroku Usagi. "I suppose this is it," she said, feeling tears in her eyes and hating herself for it. "I suck at saying goodbyes."

Usagi laughed. "We knew it was never anything serious, Marion."

"Yeah, too bad, huh?" Actually, it was for the best, and both knew it. Usagi had his cadets and his service to the Dragon of House Kurita, and his daughter and his grandchild. Marion had the Snowbirds and the Sentinels, and Maysa and Dan, and maybe _her_ first grandchild. They were too much alike to stay close for long. "I don't have anything to give you."

"At least write on occasion. You _can_ write, can't you?"  
"On occasion."

Usagi smiled with the smile of a man who knew he would never see the woman in front of him again. He leaned forward and kissed Marion long and deeply. "Goodbye, Marion Rhialla."

"Goodbye, Usagi Miroku."

"Marion!" shouted Alfred Dennison from the _Minerva_'s ramp. "You coming with us or not?"

"Gimme a minute, you old bastard!" Marion shouted back. "Damn! Can't a woman suck face in peace?"

"Perhaps he's jealous," Usagi said.

"Al? Doubt it. He's gay." She sighed. "Well…see you around." Then she was gone, screaming at the assembled Snowbirds at the top of the ramp that if she saw smiles on anyone's face, that person would be dropping on Sudeten without a heat shield, or for that matter, without a 'Mech. Usagi turned and walked towards the distant terminal, not looking back. He noticed two of his MechWarriors standing there, Jinjiro Gramakov and Hohiro Noribetsu, and stopped. No words were exchanged: Usagi knew. He bowed deeply to them, they returned the bow, and still without a word, the two former cadets now walked towards the _Minerva._

They halted in front of Sheila and came to attention. "Commander Arla-Vlata," Gramakov said formally. "We request permission to join the Snowbirds."

"Jinjiro," Max replied, "you were just attached to us because we were short a man on Kagoshima. You sure you want to do this?"

"I do," Gramakov said instantly.

"You're giving up a career, maybe a good one. You sure that's what you want?" Sheila asked. "You'd be disowned by your family as a hiresword."

"I have no family," Gramakov answered. "They were killed in the Ronin Wars. I haven't felt part of anything until I was up there on Toriiyama with the Snowbirds. Please, Commander," he pleaded.

"All right, Jinjiro…all right. Go on up." Sheila wondered if Gramakov would fall to a knee next, so she sent him on his way. She would be glad to have him: the young Kuritan had proved his worth.

She turned to Noribetsu, who was a different story. Noribetsu had also proven himself a fine officer. She knew Ryuken-ni was very interested in him, and she also knew that Noribetsu _did_ have a family—a father who was second in command of a Galedon Regulars line regiment, and a mother who was very high in the Matsuida planetary government. "Why do you want to go, Hohiro?"

"I owe the Snowbirds my life," he said. "I would have thrown away my life if not for you, Commander. Therefore, I owe you a debt."

"I release you from it," Sheila told him.

To her surprise, Noribetsu's face darkened in anger. "If you are truly worthy to wear Chu-sa Soryu's swords, then you should know that it is not that easy. Bushido demands it."

"But what about your vow to House Kurita?" Max asked. "Doesn't that supersede personal honor?"

"Yes. And it may be that I would have to commit seppuku for that someday. But not today. The Kanrei understands, as does Tai-sa Usagi. I spoke with them last night."

"Well, if it's that important to you…" Sheila said hesitantly. For Noribetsu to risk a lucrative career and possibly his life to request a meeting with Theodore Kurita, no matter what his heroics on Kagoshima, meant that he took that debt very seriously. "Very well, Hohiro. Welcome aboard." He snapped into a bow and entered the _Minerva._ "Crazy samurai."

"It's not just bushido," Max smiled. "I think it's got a little to do with a certain young Kuritan woman who likes to wear her hair in braids and her makeup Steiner-style." Sheila's eyes instantly went to Kahvi Falx. Noribetsu paid her no attention as he went past her, but her eyes certainly followed him.

* * *

Max touched Sheila's shoulder and kissed her cheek. "I'll be inside." He motioned towards the trio that approached, the last of the Snowbirds: Marcus Drax, Bien Canonizado, and Felisanna. Sheila nodded, understanding. This was something she would have to handle alone.

"Sheila," Marcus said without so much as a salute, "talk to these two, will ya? They're not coming with us." He tried to thumb towards Bien and Felisanna, but his right arm was still in a cast. His _Phoenix Hawk_ had been destroyed, but other than a mild concussion and a broken arm, he had crawled out of it intact.

"What?" Sheila was taken aback at that. "Why not?"

Bien glanced at Marcus, then nodded. "It's true, Commander. I am sorry, but we are not coming." He handed her two pieces of paper, kept carefully dry under his coat. "My resignation from the Snowbirds and the Sentinels, Commander. I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Felisanna?"

Felisanna, tears running down her face, gave a quick nod. "Yes, Sheila. I'm sorry too. You know what happened on Kagoshima. I talked it over with Morgan Kell yesterday, and…I think it's for the best. I just can't…I just can't get back into the cockpit again, not for awhile. Not after what happened." She looked at her shoes. "If you don't mind me mangling the Bible, where you go…I can't follow. Not this time."

Sheila sighed. One part of her wanted to yell at Felisanna, tell her that she was letting down her fellow warriors, that skills such as hers would be desperately needed on Sudeten. Yet she knew that wouldn't be fair. Not all wounds were visible, and a shattered spirit was worst of all. Whatever power Felisanna had tapped on Kagoshima, she couldn't turn it on like a switch, and perhaps that was for the best. As for Bien, where Felisanna went, he _would_ follow, and that was definitely for the best. Whatever demons still haunted Felisanna, she could think of no better exorcist. "Okay. I understand."

"You do?" Felisanna sounded shocked.

"I think so." Sheila pocketed the papers. "We'll leave you both on the Snowbirds roster. There'll be a place for either or both of you when you decide to come back."

"Thank you, Commander," Bien answered for both of them.

Sheila opened her mouth to say something, but there was really nothing to say. "Good luck. God bless," she said, turned, and walked up the ramp.

That left Marcus Drax. "You sure about this?"

"We're sure, my friend," Bien answered.

"Well…shit." He too found himself out of words. "Well…_shit._"

"Yeah," Bien half-smiled.

Marcus paused, then stepped forward and kissed Felisanna on the forehead. "Good luck, you."

"You too," she struggled out between sobs.

"Take care of her, man."

"You know I will."

"Where are you going to go?" Marcus wanted to know.

"I was thinking maybe my parents' place on Mayetta," Bien said. "That's pretty far away from the war. It's quiet. A good place."

"Yeah." Marcus scratched the back of his head. "Well…come back when you're ready. You'll always be Snowbirds. Always."

"Yes. We will return."

"Marcus!" Marion Rhialla yelled. "Get your ass up here! We've got to close the damn ramp!"

"Yeah, coming!" He awkwardly shook hands with Bien, waved at Felisanna, and scampered up the ramp. The two, the last on the tarmac, stepped back as the ramp raised. The last they saw of the Snowbirds was Sheila Arla-Vlata, standing at the head of her battalion. There wasn't much left, but the Snowbirds were going home.


	4. Command Decisions

_AUTHOR'S NOTES: Shifting scenes here to Sudeten. This was a fun chapter to write. I like the interplay between Cavell Malthus and Calla Bighorn-Vlata; hopefully this also ties up some loose ends with those two. Yes, I owe a big debt to the movie _Waterloo,_ and the superb acting of Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer. The Sudeten campaign will be closely based on Waterloo—to a point—with Malthus playing Napoleon and Calla Wellington. However, note that Sudeten will still fall, and as this is the last Snowbird story, no one's guaranteed to live…_

_Hopefully a long chapter will make up for the short ones I've been turning out lately._

_Incidentally, this version of the Battle of Sudeten bears little resemblance to what is written in canon Battletech, in the books _Day of Heroes_ and _Clan Jade Falcon Sourcebook. _The reason's simple: I don't have _Day of Heroes_ and the _Sourcebook _is pretty screwed up. It lists Alyina and Sudeten falling in summer 3050. That's impossible, because according to the Stackpole books, Alyina doesn't go until early January 3052, and it's further "north" than Sudeten. Since the _Jade Falcon Sourcebook_ also talks about several Clan commanders being still alive after Tukayyid, and also lists them as being _killed_ on Tukayyid, I'm going to blame it all on ComStar's shoddy research and do my own thing._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER: _

_Panzerfaust: Don't feel bad about the senior moment. I had one too—since it's Mimi Stykkis who first starts singing "Men of Harlech," but in _9/11/3064, _Sheila says Maysa sang it. That's what I get for writing one before the other, and not checking for continuity. Glad you liked the scene with Morgan Kell._

_Kat: I'd like to compile it, like you did with your stories. I'll see what I can do once it's finished._

_SameReader: I'll try to keep this short. First of all, thank you for your service. Second, thanks for your complimenting my writing. I come from a military family, and my dad (23 years service, as an NCO) reads these stories too. I hope they sound at least somewhat authentic. Your comment about NCOs is a good one: my guess is that Lance Commanders serve the same role as Sergeants; Marion Rhialla is the de facto RSM for the Snowbirds, although she's a Major. _

_Regarding Sheila's age: you're right, to a certain extent. As you're aware, the US military has been reluctant (for understandable reasons) to allow women in combat; the Battletech universe takes place a thousand years from now in a galaxy that has been at war for 400 years. Since Sheila was raised in a mercenary regiment (which exists only to fight), it's very likely that she would have a great deal of experience coming in. Moreover, the Inner Sphere regularly starts its officers in the military academies at age 14. (In that sense, the Nagelring and NAIS serve as combination high schools and colleges.) While you're absolutely right that the great military leaders of history usually don't hit their stride until they're at least 30 (Alexander the Great being a notable exception), in the Battletech books, Victor Steiner-Davion is commanding a full battalion at age 19 and a regiment by age 21; his contemporaries, like Kai Allard, start out as company commanders. You grow up fast in the Battletech universe or you don't grow up at all. Frankly, it's sci-fi anyway: asking it to be completely realistic is probably a moot point—especially given Battletech's tendency to ignore physics in a way that would make a Trekkie cry._

_When it comes to the strong women complaint, I can say nothing but "guilty as charged." I actually hadn't noticed that until you pointed it out. I've always written about strong females—it's just my way. And it's not likely to change anytime soon. I like to think of Max and Sheila being equal partners—he's strong where she isn't, and vice-versa—but he is content to sit in her shadow. To do otherwise would be to completely change the character, which wouldn't work at this late stage of the story._

_All that aside, thank you for your long review and you've definitely given me food for thought…and to write on._

_MUSIC DEPARTMENT: "Death Star/The Stormtroopers" from _Star Wars, _the theme from _The Longest Day, _and "Spending Time in Preparation" from _Evangelion.

* * *

_City Hall, Ulm_

_Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth_

_12 January 3052_

Cavell Malthus looked in the mirror and made a minute adjustment to his cape. He wore the formal Jade Falcon uniform, dark green leather with yellow highlights and cape, and was glad to see that he could still wear the same size he had worn at twenty. He was forty now, and being able to retain his physique was one of the few bright spots left in his life.

Cavell's face darkened in anger as he remembered what had gotten him here, to Sudeten. He had been saKhan of the Jade Falcons once, considered a rising star despite what by Clan standards being somewhat middle-aged. His planning of the invasion of the Inner Sphere was considered brilliant, his execution equally so, and if the Jade Falcons had suffered reverses on Twycross and Planting, they were overall minor ones. Cavell remembered with grim satisfaction how the Clan Khan, Elias Crichell, had panicked when Twycross fell and the Falcon Guards had been annilihated. Cavell had assured Crichell that the loss of the planet was a blow, but that the Federated Commonwealth couldn't hold it—and had been proven right the next year when the invasion resumed. As for the Falcon Guards, they could be rebuilt: Aidan Pryde wasn't Cavell's first choice to command the reconstituted Guards, but he was so far proving to be a superb commander, whatever his checkered past. Planting he had never intended to hold to the death, only to allow the Inner Sphere forces to grind themselves to pieces, then withdraw and let Clan Wolf take it, with the commeasurate high casualties—and once more, he had bested his political enemies, in this case Vandervahn Chistu, who had wanted both himself and Senefa Malthus censured for "losing" Planting.

But now his enemies were on the rise. The destruction of Front Royal had not bothered the Jade Falcon high command overmuch, but it had unexpected ripple effects among the ranks, depressing morale. It had infuriated the Inner Sphere defenders, who made taking Vantaa far more difficult than anticipated. Clan Wolf had exploited the situation, and as agreed in the Trial of Possession between himself and then-Khan Ulric Kerensky of the Wolves, Vantaa had become a Wolf possession. To make matters worse, the Wolves had managed to manipulate Athena Henderson, the Butcher of Front Royal and the commander of the once-prestigious 133rd Falcon Fusiliers, into a battle with the Snowbirds SMCAT which cost Henderson her life and half the Cluster.

The worst blow to Cavell by far was the loss of Senefa Malthus. She had been a true rising star among the Jade Falcons, the youngest to win a Bloodname in the Clan, and as close to a daughter as Cavell would ever have. Cavell had been at the forefront in opposing the adoption of Phelan Kell into Clan Wolf, stating often and loudly that such an adoption set a dangerous precedent, and proved how the hated Wolves were already allowing themselves to be corrupted by the Inner Sphere. When Senefa defected to the Inner Sphere, it made his words a mockery. The Clan considered Senefa's defection to be a far greater blow than even the loss of the Falcon Guards, because her knowledge of the Clan way of war was now a weapon for the Federated Commonwealth. She was under Cavell's command, and she was his protégé, so he was ultimately responsible. He had tried to mitigate the damage by putting a kill order on Senefa, which privately tore him apart, and by stating that she had been "adopted" by the Federated Commonwealth in the same fashion as the Wolves had adopted Phelan. That "explanation" had sounded lame even to him. The vultures had already been circling, and they had pounced. Cavell had made too many enemies, and though his rank, Bloodname, and combat career had saved him from being sentenced to a solahma suicide unit, Crichell and Chistu had quickly ensured he would be demoted to Galaxy Commander. Vandervahn Chistu had taken his place as saKhan, further rubbing salt in the wound. Even the Wolves had found a way to peck at the corpse of his career: ilKhan Ulric had used the defection of Senefa to "prove" the Jade Falcons needed "help" in conquering their portion of the Inner Sphere, and had assigned Clan Steel Viper as that help. The fact that the Steel Vipers and the Jade Falcons utterly loathed each other was merely icing on the cake for Kerensky and his Clan.

All that aside, though, Cavell Malthus still wielded considerable power. He was a Galaxy Commander, after all, one of the generals of the Clan, and if Crichell and Chistu wanted to further humiliate and destroy him, Cavell invited them to try. After all, Aidan Pryde had proven one could commit the worst offenses possible against the Clan and not only survive, but prosper. Crichell was an old man who already had a reputation for being more a political general than a real one, and Chistu was an upstart, known more as Crichell's man than for his battle career. Cavell still commanded respect, if not affection, from the ranks, and unlike his rivals, Cavell was a patient man. It was a long way to Terra, and there would be plenty of opportunity to get back on top.

Cavell peered at his reflection in the mirror. He had shaved his goatee off—he looked too much like that bastard Vandervahn—and found to his satisfaction that it made him look younger. Smoothing one last minute crease in his uniform, he walked out of the room and into the main chamber of the city hall of Ulm, which was now his headquarters. Recriminations and revenge could wait: first, he needed to take Sudeten.

It wasn't as much of a prize as he had hoped. While it had been heavily fortified and built up as the focal point for the Federated Commonwealth's main line of resistance, it had been essentially outflanked by the Wolves' rapid drive through the weaker Free Rasalhague Republic and the loss of Tamar. The Jade Falcons had learned that a new line was being built from Koniz to Fort Loudon and that the flank of the Jade Falcon advance was being stripped of units—a sure sign that the Inner Sphere had at last figured out that the Clans' objective was Terra and that all else was secondary. That meant that most of the eight or so regiments committed to Sudeten's defense had been pulled back, making it a much lesser prize. As a result, Chistu had stripped out half of Cavell's Peregrine Galaxy forces, including the 4th Falcon Velites, 8th Falcon Regulars, and 89th Striker Clusters. That made sense militarily—those units would be better used taking other planets—but the fact that they were Cavell's best units made it yet another one of Chistu's humiliations. Chistu had pointedly left Cavell the Peregrine Eyrie Cluster, the Peregrine Solahma Cluster, and the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers. The Eyrie were the best of the trainee MechWarriors, mainly used as a holding unit for replacements and thus nearly useless in battle. The Solahma was made up of old warriors and freebirths suited either for suicide missions or garrisons. The 133rd had fallen far, and was also now mostly used as a Cluster of replacements, though Star Colonel Kazumi had fought hard to keep a solid core of MechWarriors and Elementals and had mostly succeeded.

So be it, Cavell thought. He would take Sudeten anyway. There was one prize neither Chistu could take from him, or the Federated Commonwealth had sought to: the two units left to oppose him on Sudeten was the Gray Death Legion and the Sentinels RCT. At the beginning of the invasion, many Clanfolk had sneered at the idea that mercenaries would prove worthy opponents. They had been badly mistaken. The Gray Death Legion had a reputation for toughness and skill, and Cavell looked forward to testing his skill against the Legion's commander, Grayson Carlyle.

But as good an opponent as Carlyle would undoubtedly prove, Cavell was far more pleased to be facing Calla Bighorn-Vlata, the Sentinels' leader, and in fact saw it as fate. Cavell's first Inner Sphere opponent had been Calla, on Persistence, a battle that Cavell had won, though it had taken some work. They had met again on Planting, which Cavell had lost, though it had been a Pyrrhic victory for Calla. Vantaa had been largely a draw. Now they could renew their rivalry on Sudeten, winner take all.

Cavell had taken his time, landing in good defensive ground, waiting for his opponents to make a mistake and attack him. It had angered his commanders, who were whispering that he was too timid, but Cavell was determined that, like a patient falcon, his first strike would be the killing one that broke his opponent's back.

* * *

As he walked into the main hall, his commanders were drawn up there, also dressed in formal uniforms. Cavell had demanded they do so, largely to make an impression on the people of Ulm. Jade Falcons had already run into resistance units from civilians on other worlds, of course, and the Front Royal Massacre had done nothing to help matters. Cavell had ordered the regional governor and mayor of Ulm to come to the hall, along with the local assembly. He intended to tell them that as long as they didn't interfere with the Jade Falcons, they would be treated correctly and all requisitioned supplies would even be paid for. It never hurt to subtly make the point that the Jade Falcons were now in charge, however, and having five Star Colonels with attendant Elemental guards in the same room would assuredly do that. Cavell silently inspected his commanders, and his spirits sank a little: it seemed that Chistu had ensured he would be stuck with the worst of the lot.

An Oriental woman with long, elegant hair glared at him immediately: this was Yesukai Shambag, whose 4th Falcon Talons had been transferred over from Omicron Galaxy, where she had gained a reputation for rigid tactics, a an irrational hatred towards all things freebirth, and, in Cavell's opinion, sheer stupidity. He was not alone in this opinion: Shambag had so irritated her superiors in Omicron that they had been glad to pawn her off on Cavell.

Abraham Chi-Li was a better commander than Shambag, and his 124th Striker Cluster was superb. Much to Cavell's annoyance, however, Chi-Li also could be quite irrational. Wheras Shambag would mulishly continue to use tactics not suited for the situation, Chi-Li so hated the Inner Sphere that he rarely took prisoners; his 124th Strikers were known as the "Blowtorch Brigade" among the Jade Falcons, and it was said you could always find the 124th by the smoke from burning villages. That too would be a problem, since the last thing Cavell needed was a mass uprising by the people of Sudeten.

Kristen Redmond was by far his best commander, and her 94th Striker Cluster was considered the best unit in Peregrine Galaxy. That said, Redmond was also nearly sixty years old, an age considered ancient among the Clans, and she was easily the oldest Star Colonel in the Clan. She kept that position because of her combat prowess, but overcompensated by taking unreasonable risks; Cavell suspected that Redmond had a death wish. Since her Cluster would follow Redmond into hell if so ordered, it also meant the 94th would take unreasonable risks.

Cewers Cavell didn't even want to look at. He stood on artificial legs, and only his eyes were visible behind a cloth mask he wore: his face was so badly scarred from an engine explosion that he refused to show it in public. Cewers had the unfortunate luck to survive the loss of nearly eight 'Mechs, three of them which had gone up in catastrophic explosions that usually killed other men. At first, he too had been a rising star because of his luck, but as he aged and lost more battles, it had landed him in command of the Peregrine Solahma Cluster, whose main purpose was to die. While Cewers didn't have a death wish as far as Cavell knew, he certainly wouldn't mind dying on Sudeten.

Kazumi, on the other hand, had proven to be a pleasant surprise. Passed over for higher command due to a lack of connections, an unremarkable career, and finally advancing age, he had been content to serve out his career as a mentor of sorts to the commanders of the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers. Senefa Malthus had embraced the older man in this role; Athena Henderson had done everything she could to get rid of him. Now that both were gone, Kazumi had ascended to command the broken remnants of the 133rd, in what in every way was a graveyard promotion. To everyone's surprise, however, Kazumi had not been satisfied to rub along until he was retired or the 133rd was finally disbanded, but had worked hard in the impossible task of getting the Fusiliers back in the Falcons' good graces. He, or his warriors, had fought ten Trials of Refusal to keep other units from raiding the Fusiliers for warriors, and had won every one. The Clan, in one final act of revenge for Senefa's defection, had intended to let the Fusiliers die by denying them replacements, but in the process had forged the unit into a tight-knit one. Cavell intended to make the 133rd's cause his own: if he won on Sudeten, Cavell intended to fill out the Fusiliers one way or another.

Though they all came to attention, Cavell wasn't surprised that Kazumi was the first to speak. "Good evening, Galaxy Commander."

Cavell nodded. "Good evening, Star Colonel—all of you. I regret that I have called you here tonight on intimidation duty. It seems we need to ensure the local population remains quiet and cowed."

"I know of a way to do that," Chi-Li answered darkly.

"I am quite sure you do, Abraham. However, I would prefer that we not have to destroy every hamlet between here and Reichenburg in the process, quiaff?"

"They are just freebirth peasants," Shambag said.

Cavell barely resisted the sudden desire to punch Shambag as hard as he could. "Yes, Star Colonel—they are just freebirth peasants." He gave her a cold glare. "Freebirth peasants that would be happy to e-mail, radio, or somehow otherwise notify our enemies of every move we make, poison our water supply and our food, and cut the throats of our sentries in the middle of the night!" She shrank back under his attack, and Cavell rounded on Chi-Li. "Which is why, unless we are provoked, we will _not_ be killing civilians, burning villages, or stealing livestock without compensation! We are up against worthy opponents on this world, ones who have fought and even bested the Clans on occasion, and you will _not_ give them more advantages than they already have!"

With visible effort, Cavell reined in his temper. Redmond cleared her throat. "We have some information in that regard, Galaxy Commander."

"How so?"

Redmond allowed a smile to break through. "The FedCom units have separated."

Cavell was silent for a moment. "Show me."

They went to a guarded anteroom. There was no holotank here; someone had spread a paper map over a table. Cavell found himself greatly liking that for some reason: this was the way war was done in the old days, and it was somehow comforting. Redmond's finger went to a point on the map. "Here, at Brunn. The Gray Death Legion moved forward from Olmutz yesterday."

"And where are the Sentinels?"

"Here, at Krummau—except for one battalion, which we believe is Gamma Battalion. We have no record of a Gamma Battalion last we faced the Sentinels on Vantaa, and reports from the Smoke Jaguars indicate that the Snowbirds are in the Draconis Combine. It may be a new unit." Redmond's finger moved down to the town of Budweis. "Whoever this Gamma unit is, it is here."

Cavell stared at the map. His heart had missed a beat at the news of the Snowbirds, since that was where Senefa was. He had read those reports, which had last put the Snowbirds in a death embrace with a garrison Jaguar unit on Kagoshima. Cavell had found himself hoping that Senefa would kill many Jaguars, and inwardly smiled at such a traitorious thought.

Calla and Carlyle had not contested the Jade Falcon landing on Sudeten, and so far the Falcons had only run into the occasional skirmish with the Sudeten Militia. Cavell knew why: his objective naturally had to be Reichenberg, the planetary capital, industrial center, and the largest DropPort in the Tamar March. The problem was getting to Reichenberg: the city was banded by high, rugged mountains on every side. There was rolling farmland to the south of the city with plenty of room to manuever, but landing there would be suicidal, for the Gray Death and the Sentinels had particularly large air wings, and Cavell's comparatively small ones would not be able to cover the entire drop. Even denunded of all but two mercenary units, Cavell had restricted bidding among his units because Sudeten's terrain would balance out whatever advantage the Clans had in firepower; they were already even in numbers. So he had chosen to land at Ulm, which left the Falcons with two choices in advancing to Reichenberg.

The first choice was the most obvious: a direct advance from Ulm to Budweis, then across the narrowest part of the New Bohemian Mountains at Avalanche Pass. Sudeten was in the middle of an unseasonably warm summer, so the avalanches the pass was named for would not be a problem, and in any case there was a four-lane highway tunnel under the pass. Unforunately, it was also tailor made for a tenacious defense, and the Sentinels' positions at Krummau meant that Calla knew it. Even if the Falcons took the pass, it was still another hundred kilometers to Reichenberg, though that would be over the rolling plains, and there were ridgelines in the way.

The second was an indirect approach, down the long valley of the Neuinn River, from Brunn, through Olmutz, to Troppau. From there, it was a straight shot across mostly level ground to Reichenberg, except that the "straight shot" was two hundred kilometers, and the Neuinn River valley itself was another two hundred kilometers, with plenty of places to get ambushed along the way—and an elite unit like the Gray Death Legion would hardly miss a chance to do that.

Now the situation had changed. By moving to Brunn, that put the GDL largely out of the confining terrain of the Neuinn River valley and away from the mutual support of the Sentinels; Calla's battalion at Budweis guarded the tunnel approaches, but it could be cut off. Cavell used his fingers like dividers, mentally marking off the distance, and gave a predatory smile. The Falcons were already concentrated around Ulm: if they could march to Znaim, they would put themselves between the Sentinels and the GDL. A quick strike northeast to Brunn—and the Jade Falcons were quick if nothing else—would smash the GDL. Cavell could then either make his way up the Neuinn River at his leisure, bypassing Calla's strong position at Avalanche Pass, or turn, snap up Gamma Battalion, and take the pass. Or both.

From the look on his commanders' faces, they were as surprised as Cavell was. The FedCom forces had just made one huge mistake.

"Star Colonel Cewers," Cavell spoke.

"Sir?"

"I am giving the briefing of the local politicians over to you. Be friendly and respectful, but do not wear your mask, quiaff?" Cavell smiled to show Cewers he meant no disrespect. To his other commanders, Cavell said, "Return to your commands and prepare to move out. I do not know why my old friend Calla has made such an error, but it will not take long for him to realize it. We must move quickly, Peregrines. Sudeten is in our grasp with one big battle."

* * *

_Van Halen Auditorium, Reichenberg_

_Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth_

_12 January 3052_

"This sucks," Todd Canis-Vlata grumbled. He looked around at all the uniforms crowded into the auditorium. The strains of Chopin drifted through the hall, but he had never been a classical fan, and wasn't in the mood anyway. "The Clans have dropped on Sudeten, and we're here having a damn _ball._ A dance ball." He sipped at his mineral water, wanted a beer, but then decided against it. Too much temptation there.

"Lighten up a bit," Major Steven Jaggar said, leaning against one of the heroic banquet tables. "The Jade Falcons haven't moved in a week."

"It's because they _want_ us to attack them." Catherine Houndlikov walked up to the table and poured herself a glass of wine. "So far Calla's stayed put, and I think it's a good idea."

"Maybe. I still think sticking Gamma out there by its lonesome is a bad idea. The Green Chickens move quick, and if she's not watching out, Lexi Rowley's gonna be a nice snack for Cavell Malthus." He held up a hand to forestall Houndlikov's protest. "I know, I know, Cathy—we gotta guard the Avalanche Pass Tunnel on both ends. I still don't like it." He finished the water. "And I especially don't like being _here._ If Calla hadn't ordered me to…"

Jaggar laughed. "C'mon, Todd, don't be such a crusty old bastard. Go dance with your wife or something."

"I dance like an _Atlas_ with a broken hip actuator."

"Well, then _I_ will. I hate to see a beautiful woman standing around." Jaggar walked towards Mira Canis-Vlata, engaged in conversation with Richard Cannon, the Sentinels' Tank Battalion commander.

"Knock yourself out, if she doesn't!" Todd yelled after him. He began filling his plate with crab. "If I'm gonna be miserable, I don't have to be hungry at the same time."

Houndlikov leaned close. "Have you heard anything about Max and the Snowbirds? Calla's being pretty tight-lipped."

Todd nodded. "You know as much as I do. They're on Kagoshima, under Smoke Jaguar attack. We got a message from Teddy Kurita saying that he'd sent a Ryuken unit to relieve them, but that's all. ComStar's sending out our messages okay, but there's been no answer." He shrugged. "It's probably just because the robes shut down the HPG station when the Clans land. Assholes. You just know they're butt in glove with the Clanners."

Houndlikov thought a moment. "The one here on Sudeten's still open."

"Maybe because they're here in Reichenberg, and Calla would put the robes on a wall if they shut down communication." Todd glanced up from his plate. "Speak of the devil and he appears."

Calla Bighorn-Vlata had indeed appeared at the top of the stairs, in the Sentinels' white dress uniform, his chest bedecked in medals and a dark blue cape flowing behind him. Arm in arm with him was Arla Bighorn-Vlata, who had chosen to wear civilian clothes, a rather attractive floor-length dress of red with black highlights. Aside from the civilians invited to the ball put on by the Margrave of Reichenberg, of which there were many, the military people were in dress uniforms as well—except for Todd, who had come in his fatigues to show his contempt for being forced into these ridiculous things.

Calla and Arla gave their respects to the Margrave, who Todd conceded was at least a decent old stick, then made their way over to where Todd and Houndlikov stood. Mira had accepted Jaggar's invitation to dance; as they passed, she threw dagger stares at her husband. He gave her an ironic smile and refilled his water glass, noting in passing that Mira had chosen to wear what the Sentinels' lady warriors called the "sexy skirt," which was slit up the left side rather enticingly.

"Staring at my cousin's legs?" Calla asked with a grin.

"I didn't marry her for her cooking, that's for sure." His eyes flicked down to Arla's dress. "Not showing yours off tonight, Arla?"

"It's not appropriate," she snapped back, then looked down. "Sorry, Todd. You didn't deserve that."

Todd sighed and put an arm around her. "Heard anything?" he said softly.

"Nothing." Calla glanced at the wine, then grabbed a beer and twisted the top off. "I'm sure she's all right. Sheila knows what she's doing." Todd caught the look between Calla and Arla; the latter obviously didn't agree that Sheila and the Snowbirds were all right. Todd felt the familiar grinding worry about his son, but he'd been able to force it to the back of his mind. After all, they had made their peace, and a MechWarrior family learned quickly to lock personal feelings in a box, or go insane. He had always joked with Calla about Arla being infantry, which most MechWarriors considered basically suicide, but it didn't seem as funny now.

"How've you been?" Arla inquired.

"I feel like the waiter at the Last Supper right now." Todd put down his plate. "Calla, when are we going to hit the Jade Falcons?"

"I'm giving Cavell another 48 hours, then we'll march the Sentinels to Budweis." Calla didn't want to do that, since it would put his unit with its back to the mountains, but something had to be done. The AFFC had abruptly changed its plans on defending Sudeten, and pulled everyone offplanet for operations on other worlds, trying to build a more defensible line. That was the official line, in any case: before Morgan Hasek-Davion had left the planet, he had told Calla that it was also due to political pressure. Selvin Kelswa, the ruler of the Tamar March, had died defending his homeworld from Clan Wolf, but his daughter Morasha was married to Ryan Steiner, the leader of the anti-alliance faction in the Lyran side of the Federated Commonwealth. Ryan had taken over the role after the death of Samuel Bonner, and had been agitating in the Estates General, the Lyran Parliament, that Hanse Davion intended for the Lyrans to do all the work and bleeding against the Clans while the Davions reaped the rewards. Calla knew that was false—there were plenty of Davion units on the line against the Clans—but reality had never stopped Ryan Steiner. Already the rumors had surfaced that Bonner had intended to lead the Skye March in secession from the FedCom and sign a separate peace with the Clans, and certainly Ryan had made no secret of his support for the small but vocal Free Skye movement. Rather than sticking to the "flytrap" strategy—forcing the Clans to fight one large battle where the advantages were the AFFC's on Sudeten, similar to what the Combine had done on Luthien—Davion had reluctantly reinforced planetary garrisons up and down what was becoming known as the Koniz Line, and more or less abandoned Sudeten to its fate. Part of that was because the Wolves had already essentially outflanked Sudeten, part of it was to mollify Ryan and Morasha's shouting, and part of it was a show of force: Hanse Davion had used troops to put down a Skye rebellion before, and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Calla smiled to himself. He wondered what gaskets would blow in the Estates General when they found out Hanse had sent Wolf's Dragoons and the Kell Hounds to defend Luthien, the capital of the hated House Kurita. Calla himself would probably get some fallout for that with the Snowbirds defending Kagoshima…if they survived. _God, she's so young,_ Calla thought about his daughter. Still, she was good at what she did, when she wasn't getting in trouble, and he had to trust that she would see it through and be safe. To do otherwise would cripple him with worry. It was something he couldn't afford right now.

He allowed himself a moment to think about Cavell Malthus. He hated Cavell; Sheila's torture had come on his orders, and Calla intended to see the Jade Falcon commander done for. Yet there was still respect for the man, despite all other reasons, because his opposite number was skilled and fought hard. Calla had heard that Cavell had been disgraced for Senefa Malthus' defection, which greatly pleased Calla, but even with just a Galaxy behind him, Cavell was dangerous, more so because now he had something to prove. Calla reflected that their situations were remarkably similar: both had their commands drastically reduced, both were fighting for a planet that was rapidly becoming a sideshow, both had to factor in Sudeten's terrain, which greatly favored the defense, and both wanted the other defeated and preferably dead—Calla for what Cavell had done to his daughter, Cavell for what Calla's culture had done to a woman he obviously considered a daughter of sorts. _What a tangled web we weave._

* * *

Arla saw the play of emotions on her husband's face, and grabbed his arm. "Let's go dancing, old man."

Calla nodded and finished his beer. "You're right." They turned to go, but was nearly knocked over by a young couple heading for the dance floor. The man saw who he had run into and scrambled to apologize. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't watch where we were going."

"That's all right." Calla allowed a small smile. The young man was Michael Whelan, who had taken over Alpha Battalion's 4th Company, the company Sheila had commanded briefly until her court-martial. He didn't recognize the exceedingly pretty young woman, though she wore a Sentinels uniform. "Who's this?"

The woman—girl, Calla thought; she looked too young—came to attention and saluted. "Danielle Blackthorn, sir. Joined up three weeks ago."

"Tessya's sister?" Arla asked. "I thought you were at Sanglamore."

"Graduated early, ma'am. I want to fight." She grinned, touching her braided hair. "I want some feathers, ma'am."

"Carry on, Major Whelan." Whelan saluted, grinned, and resumed dragging Blackthorn to the dance floor; the orchestra had struck up something with a beat.

"Feathers?" he asked Arla.

It was Houndlikov who answered. "The Blackthorns are Amerinds. They wear feathers in their hair on formal occasions for 'Mechs they've killed." She rolled her eyes. Houndlikov didn't even have kill marks on her _Marauder_, feeling they were too ostentatious. "She should be worried more about not becoming some enterprising Clanner's kill."

"Shall we carry on ourselves, old man…" Arla's voice trailed off as she saw a dark-haired man pushing his way through the crowd towards them. He wore the uniform of the Gray Death Legion—the battle uniform, not the dress one. Seeing Calla, he finally fought free of the crowd and rushed to him. "Commander Bighorn-Vlata," he puffed out.

Calla finally recognized him: Major Thomas Leone, the Gray Death's infantry commander. "Slow down, Tom. What can I do for you?"

"The Jade Falcons, sir. They're on the move."

_And so it begins,_ Calla thought. "Where?"

"Znaim, sir. Colonel Carlyle had me fly up here—damn taxi broke down six blocks away; I had to run."

Calla nodded, not surprised at the move to Znaim. It made perfect sense, and it was really the most direct route. Better yet, he had planned for it already. He turned to his wife. "Arla, go grab Mira. Todd, Cathy, follow me. You too, Tom." Calla crossed the floor over to the Margrave. "Your Honor, I need the use of a room. Do you have a holoprojector?"

"No, Commander," the Margrave answered. "I have a good map, though."

"That'll do just fine—better, even." Calla spotted the Sudeten Militia's commander, Daniel Pagett, and waved him over.

"Use the antechamber." The Margrave looked very worried. He had been a MechWarrior himself, a long time and many pounds ago. "Should I stop the ball?"

Calla glanced around. Already the music had faltered, and many faces were turned in his direction, fear etched on some, anticipation on others. "No, that's not necessary. I don't want a panic." The Margrave nodded and signaled the orchestra to continue, and they swung into something rather catchy and fast.

* * *

"Now I feel like a passenger on the _Titanic_," Todd quipped. Mira came up to his side, and they followed Calla into the antechamber. The Margrave hurriedly retrieved his map and spread it out on the table. Leone tapped the map at Znaim. "They're there, Commander. We've tentatively identified the 4th Falcon Talon and the 124th Striker Cluster."

Calla nodded at Leone. "That's impressive work, Tom."

"I saw them myself, sir."

Calla nodded again, now doubly impressed. He had never worked with the Gray Death Legion before, but Grayson Carlyle had a deserved reputation of leading from the front, and apparently had impressed that on his officers.

He regarded his own officers, plus Pagett. Pagett was a good man, enthusiastic, but inexperienced, owing his command of the Sudeten Militia more because his family had connections with the Kelswa family. Still, Calla hoped something could be made of him, and he had decent subordinates. "Here's the plan, people." He grabbed a pencil and circled Budweis. "Gamma Battalion's here, as you know. Lexi's the bait. I want her to retreat back towards Avalanche Pass. We'll bring up Alpha and Beta Battalions; that's a narrow pass, like Thermopylae. I'll be happy to play Leonidas to Cavell Malthus' Xerxes."

"Didn't Leonidas get killed?" Cannon said. The others chuckled with gallows humor.

"Well, we'll try not to go that far, but the comparison is sound. We'll make Cavell pile up his units—he can only force one Cluster through that pass at a time and take them out as they come in. Plus they'll have to get in close."

Mira traced a fingernail along the map. "Calla, there's a road that comes in from the east side of Avalanche Pass. The Falcons could use that to flank us."

"That's how the Spartans lost Thermopylae," Arla added. "They don't even need a traitor to show them—it's right there on the map."

"Ye of little faith, love. I'm hoping Cavell sees that road." Calla's fingers moved east, into the Neuinn Valley. "Because the minute he does, he's going to open his own flank." He stabbed a finger down on the town of Schonbrunn. "And that'll give the Gray Death a chance to nail him." Calla looked at Leone, and was surprised to see that the infantryman had turned pale. "What's wrong, Tom?"

"Oh, God." Leone leaned over the map. "Commander, we're not at Schonbrunn. We're at _Brunn._"

"What the fuck are you doing in Brunn?" Calla exploded.

"You ordered us there!" Leone shot back.

"Like hell I did!"

Leone reached into his back pocket and pulled out a datapad. He angrily hammered at it for a moment, then put it on the table. "Right there, Commander."

Calla peered at it for a second, then snatched it up and read it closer. With a vile curse, he tossed it back on the table. Leone was right: it specifically ordered the GDL to move to Brunn, not Schonbrunn. "I wrote out that damn order myself. I _know_ I said Schonbrunn." He cursed again. Either his own staff had made a mistake, or the GDL's had. He suspected it was his own. There were too many new faces, too many Danielle Blackthorns fresh out of the academies who had to replace far more experienced warriors who were dead or in the hospital. It would be an easy mistake to make, as the two towns were separated only by fifty kilometers, but such an innocous mistake was going to cost lives and maybe the battle. For it was easy to see why Cavell Malthus was moving: the Gray Death Legion was thirty kilometers from Znaim; Gamma Battalion was nearly eighty. The Jade Falcons could concentrate first against the Legion, smash them, then turn on the Sentinels.

"All right," Calla said. "All right. Fine. We screwed up. But let's not throw in the towel yet. Tom, how's the ground around Brunn?"

"It's actually pretty decent, Commander. Colonel Carlyle thought it was a better position than Schonbrunn; that's why he didn't question the order. We've got high hills and forest on our right flank, and bogs on our left. In front of us is the Markgraf River. We can hold…but not without help, not alone."

"I know. The flank force just turned into the main line." Calla demonstrated with his hands. "The GDL holds at Brunn. Cavell attacks them, we flank him just as easy." He reconsidered. "Well, not quite as easy. He's a lot closer to the GDL than we are to the Falcons, and the Sentinels can't move as fast." He cursed again, softly. Too long, the Sentinels had been serving on the Kurita frontier for the Lyrans, and they had absorbed a lot of heavy and assault 'Mechs in place of faster lights and mediums. It had allowed them to fight well against the Clans, but it also slowed them down. Calla had wanted to "slim down" the Sentinels, but there had never been time.

"We'll hold as long as we can," Leone assured them.

"That said, we'd better have a Plan B," Houndlikov advised.

Calla stared at the map for a few moments. "If we can't hold them at Brunn and Budweis, we'll have to retreat separately—there's no way the GDL can break off and join up with the Sentinels now." Calla moved his left hand up the Neuinn Valley. "Tom, tell Grayson that I advise him to make a fighting retreat up the Neuinn if things go to hell at Brunn. Cavell will have to detail at least one Cluster to follow you; he can't just ignore the Legion."

"Damn right." Leone smiled for the first time.

"What about us?" Todd asked.

"We'll have to retreat behind Avalanche Pass. There's no good defensive ground between there at Krummau, and that's not very decent either…so we'll have to fight him here." Calla made a circle just below a ridge, fifteen kilometers south of Reichenburg: Grunwald. "In the meantime, though, I want Grayson to grab Cavell by the nose so we can kick him in the ass. Let him know, Tom."

"Done." Leone rushed out of the room.

"As for the Sentinels—Todd, Alpha's closest. Get them over the pass to Budweis fast as you can. The GDL's going to need all the help it can get."

"I'm gone." Todd tossed Calla a salute and went out the door. Mira came after him. "Sorry, babe. Guess I'll have to take a rain check on that dance."

"Next time, then." She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. "I love you, Todd Canis-Vlata. Never forget that."

"Yeah…I know." He flashed a grin at her and was gone.


	5. Reign of Confusion

_AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry it's been so long. With teaching full time and a bad case of writer's block, I just haven't felt much like writing. I finally got the bug and turned this out; it's short but it moves the plot along finally. I'll try to update more than once every two months. Someone once said you have to suffer to write…they weren't kidding._

_Incidentally, this chapter is all Clan._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER:_

_Mosin: Phantom 'Mech occurs in Stackpole's Warrior Trilogy, and is central to the Morgan Kell/Yorinaga Kurita subplot. It's also mentioned in the _Kell Hounds_ sourcebook, where it says if a character should get it, that character should be retired in the interest of game balance. Given that both Morgan and Yorinaga retired to monasteries for several years in response to discovering they had the talent, that makes sense…so it made sense for Felisanna to disappear, and Bien with her. (As I recall, either the real Bien or Rouge has had Felisanna and Bien, or their kids, show up at some point, so I wanted to maintain continuity. My original intention had been to kill Felisanna at some point.)_

_Rouge: Calla probably did say Schonbrunn, but it got cut off at some point, or it was misconstrued. Generally speaking, FASA sourcebooks are fairly good, but there's a few that I wonder what the hell the editors were thinking. _

_Kat: I'm happy to hear that. Cavell's a good bad guy, though I would consider him "Lawful Evil"…_

_Panzerfaust: Yeah, Chi-Li is based on Joachim Peiper, at least how I write him. It's mentioned in the _Jade Falcon Sourcebook _that he wanted revenge for the loss of Adler Malthus on Twycross, so that made sense. I don't have Day of Heroes, so I'm just guessing here!_

_Jayson: Oh heck yeah, Cavell wanted to take Sudeten to get at the Sentinels. Since the Jade Falcons were going there anyway, might as well…_

_MUSIC CORNER: "Land of Confusion" by Genesis (of course), "Klendathu Drop" from the _Starship Troopers_ soundtrack, and "Spaceship in the Dark" from the _Project A-ko_ soundtrack._

* * *

_Budweis_

_Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth_

_13 January 3052_

Dawn had broken over Sudeten, and the sky was clear and blue, with only a few wispy clouds. Considering it was winter, the day looked to be unseasonably warm. There was a frost on the hardy winter wheat that filled the fields south of Budweis, and the forest that brooded to the west was bare of leaves, giving it a sinister appearance that belied the otherwise tranquil scene. Beyond the small town of Budweis and the four roads that came together there, rose the imposing New Bohemian Mountains, their high peaks glittering with snow.

Star Colonel Kazumi stood on a small knoll and scanned the Sentinel line in front of him. He was exposed here, easy prey for a sniper who might be in those woods, or in the grain elevators to his right. The Sentinels had very good snipers, and the two Elementals with him had asked Kazumi to get down and find a less exposed vantage point. He had refused. He needed to see, because Yesukai Shambag would not.

"Star Colonel?" Kazumi looked down to see Star Captain Lina holding two steaming cups of coffee. He climbed down and gratefully took one. A beautiful and warm day it might become, but there was still a nip in the air that the coffee took away. Kazumi took a long drink and sighed contentedly. "Thank you, Lina." He took another drink before continuing. "Anything from headquarters?"

She shrugged. "The attack has launched on Brunn. Apparently it is rather tough going. I wish we were there."

Kazumi glanced at her, almost said something about being careful for what one wished for, but conceded she had a point. Just because he was getting old and had resigned himself to never getting a Bloodname or advancing further in the Clan, did not mean that a young woman like Lina should feel the same way. Indeed, a heroic charge into the Gray Death Legion might be just the ticket for promotion out of the hard-luck 133rd Falcon Fusiliers. Then again, Lina's ebuillent optimism had one of the things that had kept what was left of the Cluster together. The Cluster bore the taint of treason, from Senefa Malthus, and foul cruelty, from Athena Henderson, and the rest of the Clan had alternately shunned and tried to break the Fusiliers. The result had been the opposite: the remnants of the Cluster had banded closer together. Kazumi knew that Cavell Malthus saw his own fortunes reflected in the 133rd, so both he and Kazumi had to do well on Sudeten or lose what they had left. Kazumi cared little for what happened to him—death by a sniper's bullet, or consignment to training duties—but a promising warrior like Lina deserved better.

Unfortunately, the 133rd was no closer to rehabilitation at Budweis. They had been assigned as the reserve for Shambag's 4th Falcon Talon. They had marched for nearly a full day, pushing warriors to the limit, only to find that the Sentinels had reached the vital crossroads at Budweis first. Still, it was only a battalion, perhaps forty 'Mechs, backed by some infantry and militia. Shambag had between her own Cluster and Kazumi's nearly a hundred 'Mechs, and if Shambag's unit was mostly lights and mediums, the Sentinels looked to be only a tad heavier. They could be swarmed.

Yet Shambag refused to attack.

Sighing, Kazumi finished the coffee and handed the cup back to Lina. He nodded to her unspoken question. "I will talk to her again, Star Captain. Perhaps the dawn has warmed her."

"A large laser would warm--" Lina bit back the rest of that insubordination.

"One last look." Kazumi went up the knoll again and did one last sweep with his binoculars. He noticed a pristine _Phoenix Hawk_ a little closer than it had been before. There was the briefest glint off of glass, and Kazumi zoomed in. There was a woman standing on the 'Mech's shoulder, looking back at him through _her_ binoculars. Driven by some impulse he could not explain, Kazumi raised an arm and waved. The Sentinel MechWarrior hesitated, then waved back. He chuckled to himself as he climbed back down. "So friendly we are before we kill each other."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Nothing. Lead on."

Shambag's command post was at the heart of her five 'Mech Command Star, arranged in a pentagon that would be unmistakable to an enterprising Inner Sphere pilot and their bombs. But it was Clan doctrine, and Yesukai Shambag never deviated from doctrine. Inside the large tent at the center of the pentagon—which Kazumi thought might as well have a large bullseye painted atop it—Shambag and her officers were sitting down to breakfast. Kazumi noticed that Star Captain Fultz Hazen had spiced up the otherwise bland Clan breakfast ration with some fresh eggs and bacon, but that Shambag had only the toast and cereal bars that made up the ration. Kazumi idly wondered if Shambag had sex by Clan regulation as well. She looked up at him as he came in. "Good morning, Star Colonel Kazumi. Would you like some breakfast?" The tone in her voice was brittle, to let him know she was only being polite.

"No, thank you." Kazumi remained standing. "Star Colonel, I have just returned from a reconnaissance of the Sentinel force to our front. I count no more than forty 'Mechs, plus infantry in the grain elevators on our right flank and in the woods on our left. With all due respect, I believe we should attack as soon as possible."

Shambag took a drink of water. "I have received no orders to attack."

Kazumi fought down a surge of anger. Technically speaking, that was true. Shambag's orders were simply to pin the Sentinels in place long enough for Cavell Malthus to win the battle against the Gray Death Legion at Brunn, so that the Sentinels could not intervene in that battle. She could do that by remaining in place, and certainly the Sentinel battalion across the fields of wheat had made no movements towards Brunn. If they did, they would uncover their flanks or rear for the 4th Falcon Talon to fall on. The problem was, Kazumi knew that Calla Bighorn-Vlata could read a map as well as anyone else, and would realize that. Either the Sentinels were planning on abandoning the Legion, which he doubted, or there was another reason. "Star Colonel, I realize what our orders are. Yet I believe that the Sentinels will have reinforcements arriving at any time."

"Have you seen such reinforcements?" Shambag asked.

"Neg."

"Have you any evidence that such reinforcements are on their way?"

"Neg, Star Colonel. Just…call it a feeling."

A small smile touched her lips. "I do not know how it is done in the Fusiliers, but in this Cluster we do not do things on feelings. I suspect if less feelings were involved in your command, Star Colonel Kazumi, you might be in better shape, quiaff?" Kazumi noticed that a few of Shambag's officers smiled at that, and one even sniffed a laugh. Hazen was not one of them. He graced his commander with an expression of pure contempt and went back to eating.

"Then allow me to attack, Star Colonel," Kazumi said.

"No, Kazumi, I will not. Not until I receive orders to do so. The Fusiliers will remain where they are." She took another drink and buttered her toast. "Was there anything else, Star Colonel?"

"Apparently not," Kazumi replied with an edge.

"Apparently not, then. Once I receive orders, you will know about it. Good day to you, Kazumi."

In theory, Kazumi could tell Shambag to take her orders, or lack thereof, and go to hell with them. He had his own command, and he had seniority. Yet she had the Bloodname, and that made all the difference with the Clan. Not for the first time, Kazumi felt frustration at his own people, and wondered if that was why Senefa had left.

"A moment, Star Colonel." Fultz Hazen rose from the table. "Let me walk you out…I needed to ask you about our supplies." Kazumi fell in with Hazen, ears burning from the implied insult, as if he was merely the 4th Falcon Talon's quartermaster.

Lina had waited outside the tent, fuming, and she followed them to the edge of the 'Mechs. As soon as they were out of earshot, she ran to get in front of both men. Ignoring Hazen, she faced Kazumi squarely. "Star Colonel, I cannot take any more of this! Let me challenge her to a Trial of Grievance. We should not allow ourselves to be insulted such!"

"The Galaxy Commander has forbidden any Trials during the campaign," Kazumi replied mildly, though he wanted to say _aff, challenge the bitch to a Trial and kill her._ He had considered it himself. Shambag piloted a _Thor,_ but so did he, and Lina had a _Mad Cat._

"I have a better idea," Hazen said, with a thin smile. "As much as a Trial would spicen up the morning, let me make a counter-offer, Star Colonel."

"And that would be?"

"It may require a little insubordination on both our parts."

"I am listening, Star Captain." Kazumi leaned against the leg of an _Uller_ and crossed his arms.

"Our orders are not explicit, although my commander seems to think they are. I have fought with Cavell Malthus before, against the Wolves. He wants his subordinates to think for themselves. Unfortunately, Star Colonel Shambag has a difficult time with that."

"Go on." Kazumi caught Lina's warning glance and understood: Hazen could be setting them up for a trap, further humiliation.

"There is nothing from preventing you from making a reconnaissance in force…say, on the left flank? Those woods _could_ have other Spheroid forces in them, quiaff?"

"Aff, indeed," Kazumi smiled. The "reconnaissance in force" was the oldest trick in the book for getting around a timid or rigid commander, and it usually worked.

"Meanwhile, while the 133rd dutifully ensures our left is secure, I believe I will go over to the radios and make double sure our orders are correct. There is nothing insubordinate about asking my old friend Cavell if he has any further orders for us, quineg?"

"Neg. I think it is merely being a responsible second-in-command."

"Well, then." Hazen made shooing motions. "Away with you seditionists. I must return to my breakfast…after I send a quick message, of course."

"Oh, but of course." They exchanged salutes, and Kazumi and Lina began heading towards their BattleMechs, parked beyond those of the 4th Falcon Talon. "This is a sad situation," Lina commented. "We have to circumvent our own high command?"

Kazumi said nothing, but his silence spoke volumes.

* * *

Cavell Malthus allowed himself a slight smile. Before him stretched the beginning of the immense Neuinn Valley—not that he could see much of it, with the smoke and explosions barring most of his sight. But the sight pleased him.

The Gray Death Legion had chosen their ground well, with terrain screening both flanks and the Markgraf River in front of them, which meant it would be difficult for the Jade Falcons to launch any sort of flank attack. It also meant that the Legion had to crowd into a relatively small area, but that was less of a problem: massed firepower and the willingness to use it was one of the few advantages the Inner Sphere had. It meant that Cavell, if he wanted to dislodge the Legion from Brunn, would have to do so by a frontal attack across a river, which would kill the momentum of an assault.

Cavell, however, had an ace up his sleeve. Two of them, actually.

First, he had massed his airpower together and unleashed them against the Legion. The GDL's squadron had been overwhelmed, though they had claimed a fair number of Jade Falcon fighters before being forced to retreat. The Sentinels AeroWing had arrived, but were at the edge of their range and could not remain long; Cavell deduced that the Legion moving to Brunn had been a mistake, one that Calla Bighorn-Vlata had not anticipated. Though his fighter pilots had hated it, each Clan fighter had been carrying bombs. Most of the pilots had salvoed their bombs into the city of Brunn rather than risk being caught low and slow by Legion or Sentinel fighters, but the bombs had done their work, disrupting the Legion's lines.

Second, Cavell had a massive battery of _Naga_ artillery 'Mechs at his disposal—ten of them. The _Naga_ was despised by Clan MechWarriors, because the 'Mech's main armament were twin Arrow IV artillery missile launchers. Since lofting artillery missiles, usually beyond the line of sight of the _Naga_ pilot, meant little chance for personal glory, _Nagas_ were usually assigned as punishment duty, even to freebirth warriors. Their use was considered somewhat inglorious. Cavell, with nothing to lose, had no trouble gathering ten of them from other Clusters that could find no use for them, and banded them together in what he called his Grand Battery, attached directly to his headquarters. Now the Grand Battery was paying dividends. Loaded with general purpose high explosive rounds rather than the specialized guided missiles, the _Nagas_ added their firepower to the devastated town, the missiles making a hideous screech as they flew through the air towards their targets. The Legion would either have to disperse or risk taking further casualties, and Cavell could see confusion beginning to spread. Behind the thick treeline on the southern bank of the Markgraf was Kristen Redmond's 94th Striker Cluster, which he planned to unleash very soon.

One of Cavell's staff officers, Owanna Buhallin, rushed up to him. "Sir? Message from the 4th Falcon Talon."

"Thank you." Cavell took the datapad from Buhallin. He had not heard anything from Yesukai Shambag; she should be attacking and pinning Gamma Battalion of the Sentinels. He scanned the datapad and his face rapidly darkened with anger. "Star Commander, am I reading this correctly that Shambag has _not_ attacked?"

"I thought it was strange as well, ovkhan. I confirmed it personally with Star Captain Fultz Hazen. They have not attacked because your orders said only to pin down the Sentinels."

Cavell nearly threw the datapad to the ground in frustration. "When I give an order to _pin_ someone down, I want them to attack!" He thrust the datapad back into Buhallin's hands. "Inform Shambag that she is to attack immediately or name her replacement. Wait." Buhallin had been about to rush back into the command post, but his voice stopped her. "Send a message to Star Colonel Chi-Li. I want his 124th Striker to march along that road—" he pointed to the Budweis-Brunn road, to their north "—and attack the Gray Death Legion on the left flank. We'll roll them up and end this." Buhallin repeated the message back to Cavell dutifully, then returned to the command post.

* * *

Fultz Hazen thought that Yesukai Shambag _almost_ looked cute when she was angry, and she was very angry now. "This is an outrage!" she shouted, and slammed the datapad down on the table in her tent. "I will have a Trial of Grievance over this—"

"Trials are forbidden during the campaign," Hazen informed her calmly, pouring fuel on the fire.

"I know that, fool! I meant _after_ the campaign! That has-been Cavell has pushed me too far!"

Star Captain Tyne Roshak politely cleared his throat. "Star Colonel, what are your orders?"

Shambag rounded on him. "Attack, of course!" She slammed fingers down on the keys, activating the small holoprojector. Once the map had appeared, she stabbed at the hologram as if it was Cavell Malthus' throat. "I will lead the main attack up the road at Budweis itself, with Fultz and Vecky Thastus with me. Tyne, you will attack the left flank; Jalak, you will take the right." Jalak Roshak and Vecky Thastus, the latter the 4th Talon's Elemental commander, both nodded. Hazen suppressed a sigh. It was not a very imaginative attack, but at least it was an attack at all.

One of Shambag's staff turned from a bank of radios and hesitantly approached his commander. "Ah, Star Colonel? A message."

"What now?" she demanded.

"It is from Star Colonel Kazumi, ma'am."

Shambag rolled her eyes. "Another old fool. Tell him to go away. He is nice and safe in reserve where he belongs, and that will be where he stays!"

Hazen spoke up. "Star Colonel, I spotted the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers moving out towards the Bossen Forest on our left flank a few minutes ago."

"I told him not to attack!"

The staff man, clearly wishing he was somewhere very far away, said, "Star Colonel, he is conducting a reconnaissance in force."

Shambag actually tore at her hair. "Fine, fine. What has he found? Militia? Does he need help running off a few scarecrows with bolt-action rifles?"

"Actually, no, Star Colonel." The man took a deep breath, knowing the wrath to come, and read from the datapad in his hand. "He has spotted a new enemy force, moving south from Avalanche Pass. He reports heavy and assault 'Mechs, unknown number, at least two companies, possibly a battalion."

Shambag turned a little pale. Her 4th Falcon Talon only had a few heavy 'Mechs among it, and were mostly light 'Mechs. Against the Sentinels' Gamma Battalion, they could simply swarm it to death, using their advantage in numbers and speed to overwhelm the defenders. If there were heavy and assault 'Mechs coming up, it could mean that the 4th Talon would run into a buzzsaw. Clan light Omnis could put out a great deal of firepower, but they were thinly armored. Against monster assault 'Mechs, especially heavily armored Inner Sphere versions like the _Awesome_ and _Atlas,_ the lights would be massacred. "How soon will they be here?" she asked in a much gentler tone.

"He estimates about twenty minutes."

"We must attack now!" Jalak insisted. "There is not a moment to lose!"

"Neg. We need help." Hazen moved forward and touched an icon on the hologram. "Abraham Chi-Li's 124th Strikers. They are astride the Budweis-Brunn road. If we can get them to come in on our right flank, the new battalion will be forced to deploy against them. We can break through Gamma Battalion if we have Chi-Li's heavies covering us."

Shambag nodded. "Send to Chi-Li to come in on our right flank immediately. Inform him of what we face." The staff man saluted and ran back to his station to begin sending the order. "The rest of us attack immediately."

"And Kazumi?" Hazen asked, secretly pleased that his plan was coming together very nicely.

"Tell him to remain in place and keep an eye on that left flank."

"Not to attack? We could use the help—"

"Not from the likes of him!" Shambag screamed over her shoulder as she left the tent.

* * *

Abraham Chi-Li leaned back in the seat of his _Mad Cat_. In both hands, printed out from his 'Mech's computer, were two orders which conflicted with each other—or confirmed each other. He was not sure which.

First, there was an order from Galaxy Commander Cavell Malthus to march down the Budweis-Brunn highway to attack the Gray Death Legion on the left flank in support of a main attack. Second was a request—plea would be a better word—from Yesukai Shambag to march down the Budweis-Brunn highway and attack the Sentinels on their left flank; the Sentinels were bringing a heavy battalion to bear.

Chi-Li rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. Cavell was easily Shambag's senior, so he should naturally obey that order. The problem was, if he did, he would be attacking on Cavell's _left_ flank, unless he meant the Legion's _right_ flank. Unless the order had gotten garbled by Peregrine Galaxy's somewhat shoddy staff and Cavell meant the Sentinels instead of the Legion, in which case the order made more sense: he would be attacking the Sentinels' _left_ flank. The order was ambigious, and Chi-Li had been getting ready to ask for confirmation when the request came in from Shambag.

Chi-Li was not like Shambag; he knew how to interpret an order rather than blindly follow it. He knew from what he had overheard that Cavell and Kristen Redmond had the Legion on their heels, and his 124th Strikers would be primarily used to finish off the Gray Death Legion. On the other hand, if the Sentinels were throwing two battalions at Shambag, they would be at least equal in numbers and would outweigh the 4th Falcon Talon and the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers combined. The Jade Falcons could not win the campaign at Brunn, but they could certainly lose it at Budweis.

Chi-Li opened a channel to his second-in-command, Star Captain Dreeson Pryde. "Dreeson, Abraham." They had known each other too long to bother with callsigns. "Take the lead with Trinary Alpha. We are going to Budweis to support the 4th Falcon. Expect enemy contact at any time." Pryde acknowledged with pleasure and began turning west with his 'Mechs. Chi-Li gave orders to the rest of his Cluster, putting Trinary Delta's Elementals on rear guard. He wanted to make sure he got it right, because this was unknown territory, and there was no telling what else was out here. Cavell Malthus could wait a few minutes while he did so; it was not as if he really needed the 124th Striker in any case, and Chi-Li did not like to be used in cleanup duty to begin with.

One last thing. "Dreeson, Abraham. One last thing."

"Aff, sir?"

The Sentinels had been on Twycross, where Chi-Li's best friend Adler Malthus had died. He had heard that it had been Sentinel units that had alerted the Federated Commonwealth units to Adler's Falcon Guards, with the result that the Guards had been buried alive in the destruction of the Great Gash. That had been Kai Allard-Liao, who Chi-Li had sworn to kill, but the Sentinels were at least partially responsible.

"Aff, sir?" Pryde repeated.

"Do not bother with prisoners."


	6. Sacrifices

_AUTHOR'S NOTES: Finally got some time to do some writing, so hopefully this'll tide you over for a little while. With the holidays coming up, I should have some time to actually finish this story._

_Once more, I robbed a bit from _Waterloo;_ the play that Todd Canis-Vlata refers to at the beginning of this chapter is _Paint Your Wagon.

_This is a Snowbird story, although I know Sheila and Co. haven't shown up for a bit. Don't worry, they're out there._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER:_

_Jayson: There is definitely a communications breakdown among the Falcons. Malthus has been handed a group of Cluster commanders who do not work well together, deliberately. The reason why the 133__rd__ was not disbanded was because the Jade Falcons didn't want to admit their shame openly to the other Clans for Senefa Malthus' defection. They preferred to let the 133__rd__ die of attrition, which was yet another way to punish the unit._

_The Reader: Hope you like this one._

_SulliMike: Yep. This is the final chapter, after all…_

_MUSIC CORNER: "Panzer Attack" from the _Medal of Honor _soundtrack, "No Sacrifice, No Victory" from the _Transformers_ soundtrack, and finally "Silent Running" by Mike+The Mechanics._

_Orani_

_Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth_

_13 January 3052_

Todd Canis-Vlata smirked lopsidedly as he was reminded of a line from an ancient play Mira had once dragged him to. "Welcome to hell, parson," he growled.

It certainly looked like it. Todd had fought in just about every environment imaginable and against many an enemy—he had fought in hard vacuum on one of the Sentinels' first missions when they were little more than two companies and a dream, and he had even fought the Black Widow Company on Hesperus II when he was with Hansen's Roughriders, and lived to tell about it.

But he had never fought underground.

"Cure Six from Five." Todd looked over at Talia Claremont's _Archer._ He couldn't see the young woman—one of the "noobs," right out of the academy and to the front lines. She had proven herself today, though. "Do you think the tunnel's going to hold?"

He craned the _Crusader's_ head upwards. Pebbles streamed down the ceiling, and he thought he could see cracks there. "I hope so, Five," he radioed back. _At any rate,_ he added to himself, _it'll hold longer than we will._ His scratch force was now down to twelve 'Mechs, a company less than he had started with. Every 'Mech had been hit once, and a few were limping.

The Battle of Budweis had been a near-disaster. When he had gotten there with his fastest 'Mechs—leaving the slower heavies and assaults to catch up later—he had walked into utter chaos. After a whole morning of inactivity, the Jade Falcons had suddenly jumped to life. Two Trinaries, identified later as the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers, had appeared on the right flank in the Bossen Forest. Todd had been heading in that direction when the two Trinaries had halted, out of range even for their advanced weapons. Almost as soon as he had gotten into contact with Lexi Rowley and her Gamma Battalion and assumed command as the senior officer present, the 4th Falcon Talon had suddenly assembled and charged forward. They paid for it, because the militia commander at Budweis was no novice, and his infantry had been supported well by artillery. The Talon had drawn back with a bloody nose, then reformed and charged again. Todd had been confident of stopping that attack too, when a new threat had appeared on his left flank: the 124th Striker Cluster. With growing horror, Todd realized that he, Rowley, and the militia were being drawn into a gigantic trap, with Clan 'Mechs on three sides. He ordered a withdrawal before the jaws of the trap could snap shut; with the Gray Death Legion reportedly under heavy pressure at Brunn, both they and the Sentinels were simply on their own. Todd would never know the Clans' coordinated attack had been more by accident than design.

Luckily, the Sentinels had trained for this kind of battle and had done it before: maintaining cohesion in the face of nearly being surrounded was tough, but it could be done when the commanders were good, as the Sentinels' were. The Falcons were moving just a tad too slowly, and Todd managed to get everyone out, even a good number of the militia, who fired off the last of their SRM ammunition from their armored personnel carriers, then moved out north under the cover of smoke and a quick, punishing airstrike from the Sentinels AeroWing. The retreat from Budweis had been made in good order, and the Falcons' trap had closed on empty air. The Sentinels and the militia withdrew north, to Avalanche Pass. Budweis might be lost and, from the last Todd had heard, the Gray Death Legion was retreating from Brunn, but now that the terrain was bunching up, the Jade Falcons wouldn't have any easy victories.

That was when everything had gone to hell.

The Sudeten Militia had made sure to evacuate everyone who would go from Budweis throughout the previous night and the morning. As the Sentinels and the militia retreated, they rapidly overtook the civilian refugee traffic, most of whom had foolishly slowed down once out of the immediate danger zone. The result was a nightmare at the southern portal of the Avalanche Pass Tunnel. A traffic jam had rapidly built up, and the police stationed to make sure there would be orderly traffic through the tunnel were quickly overwhelmed. Todd had ordered Rowley's lighter 'Mechs to go up the switchback trails into the mountains above the tunnel, and his own battalion to start moving civilian vehicles out of the way if necessary for the militia's tanks to pass. The problem was, the militia had refused to abandon the refugees. When the Jade Falcons arrived, the 124th Striker in the lead, they had begun firing LRMs—not at Todd's 'Mechs or at the militia's tanks, but at the unarmored civilian vehicles. Cars and trucks exploded easily, and the situation turned into mass panic—exactly what Abraham Chi-Li had intended. People abandoned their vehicles and fled for the tunnel, dozens of men, women, and children falling dead along the way from shrapnel and explosions. With the tunnel jammed with human bodies, Todd and the militia had no choice but to stand and fight. Rowley held the high ground, and when 124th closed in with the 4th Talon in support, the battle had degenerated into a savage melee. Elementals had gotten into the tunnel only to be engaged by militia tanks. One Jade Falcon _Thor_ had broken through, also ran into the tunnel—which had been designed for and was high enough for even the tallest 'Mech to pass—only to be dropped by a concentrated fusillade from two Sentinel assault 'Mechs. It had been enough for Todd: his adversaries were not trying to overrun the Sentinels, they were trying to cut them off, trap them, and destroy them. Reluctantly, he had ordered a retreat, telling the militia to get what they could back, and if they couldn't manuever through the flaming charnel house that had been the tunnel approaches, to abandon their equipment and run. Most had refused the order or never acknowledged it, and died where they were. Twelve Sentinel MechWarriors had joined them: Todd had watched in rage as one of his _Victors_ had gone down, legless. As the pilot tried to pull his machine upright to eject, a Jade Falcon _Gladiator_ had sent it falling onto its back with autocannon fire, then delivered a savage and fatal kick to the _Victor's_ head. The radio net had been alive with chatter: the Jade Falcons were not taking prisoners. Todd had resolved to reply in kind, but he hadn't had the opportunity.

The only good news was that the tunnel was just wide enough for about four 'Mechs to fight shoulder-to-shoulder, and while Todd didn't use that tactic, the Jade Falcons were finding it very hard to get past him. This was a spot where the Clans' thinner armor put them at a disadvantage, and they couldn't simply manuever around him. On the other hand, they had more 'Mechs than he did. They had pulled back beyond range, but he could see their lights. There was no way the Clanners were going to just let him retreat.

"Cure Six from Delta Six." The voice was muffled and filled with static; Todd could barely hear her, but it was Rowley. Somehow her radio message was penetrating the several hundred meters of earth between he and her. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm being flanked up here and I'm falling back. Elementals all over the place."

"So that's where they went," Todd mused to himself.

"Here they come!" someone yelled over the open net, and Todd saw that the Jade Falcons had regrouped and now charged, determined to overrun Todd's company and cut Gamma Battalion off on the other side of the tunnel. The time for thought was past, and the next few minutes were devoted to fighting for their lives. Todd used the last of his LRMs to drop a _Vulture,_ then finished it off with SRMs. Harrison Champlain gunned down two light _Ullers_ that foolishly tried to charge a 'Mech that combined they didn't outweigh, but then he went down under fire from a _Mad Cat._ The Clan 'Mech stepped forward, fending off a Sentinel _Panther_, then turning and aiming a weapons pod squarely at Champlain's head. The _Marauder_ was stirring weakly; Champlain had evidently been almost knocked out by the fall and was coming around.

"Not on my watch, shithead!" Todd shouted, and slammed into the _Mad Cat_ at full speed, crashing both 'Mechs into the wall. Dirt and rocks poured down, and for a moment Todd thought the tunnel had collapsed. Somehow, it held, but the _Mad Cat_ threw him off. He scoured its sides with lasers and more SRMs, exhausting those, then threw a punch at the glasshouse cockpit that missed. Both 'Mechs pulled back, but a _Ryoken_ stepped forward. Todd saw the gigantic gun barrel on the right arm and tried to dodge, but the huge autocannon spat fire and sent his _Crusader_ reeling back. Warning lights blinked on all over his instrument panel and alarms screamed for his attention. The _Crusader_ weaved drunkenly for a moment, then fell backwards. Todd tensed as best he could for the landing, but it still felt like someone had hit him in the back with a sledgehammer. The lights winked out in the cockpit for a moment before coming back on, but Todd wished they hadn't: a glance at his secondary monitors told him that his chest armor was gone, there was massive internal damage, and worst of all, his gyro had been knocked out. That meant he wasn't going anywhere. He looked through the starred windscreen at the tunnel ceiling. There wasn't enough room to eject.

"Cure Six! Are you okay, sir?" Claremont's voice was shrill.

"Gyro's out," Todd said simply.

"The Clans have pulled back." He felt the _Crusader_ being dragged backwards. He turned the 'Mech's head, and saw Claremont's _Archer_ dragging him backwards. To one side, Champlain had struggled to his feet, fired a few desultory PPC shots back down the tunnel, then took up position next to Claremont.

"They won't be that way for long." Using what remained of his sensors, Todd could see that all the Falcons had done was fall back to regroup. The trio of 'Mechs were too good a target. "Cure Five, I'm going to blow the hatch and grab onto your 'Mech."

"But sir—"

"Shut up," he ordered. He unstrapped, reached over, and pulled the emergency cord that would blow the cockpit hatch off. Nothing happened. He pulled it again. Still nothing. Then he began tugging at the hatch, then kicking it. Upon closer inspection he saw the hatch had been warped in place.

"They're charging!" Champlain yelled.

_That's it, then._ "Cure Five, drop me and get the hell out of here."

"Sir, I'm not leaving—"

"Move your ass, Talia! That's an order! Drop me and run!" She continued to pull until a Clan PPC bolt sent her reeling back. He fired a laser in her general direction. "I said move!" There was no reply, but the _Archer_ disappeared from his field of vision.

Todd climbed back in his seat. The _Crusader_ was dead, for all intents and purposes: his missile magazines were empty, and his lasers weren't going to stop anyone. Without a gyro, he couldn't stand, let alone fight. Since his _Crusader_ was splayed out on the tunnel floor, the Jade Falcons would likely ignore him—until they detected his engine signature. Then they would either put a shot through his windscreen, or stomp him into oblivion. Already his sensors were warbling—Clan 'Mechs were within ten meters of him. In fact, they were running around him, believing him no threat.

And that made Todd Canis-Vlata very angry.

"Mira, it's just a damn shame," he sighed. He punched open an access panel, and began pulling boards from the _Crusader's_ computer. Alarms instantly shrilled, warning of an imminent engine meltdown. A fusion engine wouldn't release a nuclear explosion like a bomb, but the resultant collapse of the magnetic bottle would cause enough force to do what he wanted. He could see the _Mad Cat_ now. It had stopped, but wasn't pointing its weapon pods at him. Then it started to backpedal. Around him, the other Clan 'Mechs had also stopped and were turning to flee, their pilots detecting the massive buildup of energy and radiation from an engine that no longer had its safeguards to keep it in check.

Todd brought the _Crusader's_ arms up, extending both middle fingers at the Clans. He found this uproariously funny and was still laughing when the engine exploded, taking him, his 'Mech, the tunnel, and ten Clan 'Mechs with it.

* * *

Cavell Malthus stared at what had been the northern entrance to the Avalanche Pass and shook his head in wonder. "Hard to believe we have fallen for the same trick twice."

Abraham Chi-Li, still in MechWarrior garb, glared at him. "I find nothing amusing about this, Galaxy Commander."

"Nor do I, Star Colonel. And perhaps if you had instructed Star Captain Dreeson Pryde _not_ to follow the Sentinels into the tunnel, we would not have reenacted Twycross on a smaller scale."

"They were in pursuit!" Chi-Li protested. "Was I supposed to let the Sentinels escape?"

"No!" Malthus suddenly rounded on him, eyes blazing. "You were supposed to follow orders, Star Colonel! _My_ orders! Just because she is so brainless as to be outmanuevered by a foe she outnumbered and outgunned—" He shot a finger at Yesukai Shambag, who shrank back behind the knot of other officers "—does not mean the rest of you need be! And _this!"_ He waved his hand around the wreckage that had been the refugee column. The whole area was covered with dust ejected from the collapsed tunnel, and from boulders dislodged when the mountain had ruptured and then fallen back into the sudden crater created by the nuclear explosion. It covered the bodies. "What was the point of that? I _ordered_ no unnecessary civilian casualties! The entire planet will be against us now! Everything that I have won on Sudeten you have lost!"

"I was trying to get the Sentinels to stand and fight with honor!" Chi-Li protested. "And your orders were ambigious at best, Galaxy—"

Malthus grabbed Chi-Li and shoved him to the ground. "That is _enough!_ Do not _dare_ to question me, Abraham Chi-Li! Do not dare!" With effort, Malthus controlled himself. "You speak of honor, you who have just murdered three hundred women and children? The one who caused that—" he pointed at the remains of the tunnel "—has more honor than you. Than any of you." He turned his back on Chi-Li. "Dismissed, Star Colonel. Gather up your Cluster, what's left of it, and resume the pursuit over the mountains. Which will only take us a few days now." Shambag had evidently gathered her courage and stepped forward, but Malthus silenced her protest with a look. "Star Colonel Shambag, if I had the time, I would have you shot for incompetence. I do not, so get out of my sight."

Malthus walked over to an intact hovercar, where Owanna Buhallin, his aide, waited. She had spread maps across the hood. Malthus nodded to her, then looked at the maps for a long moment. He then motioned Kristen Redmond and Kazumi over. After another pause, he spoke. "The two of you alone have shown competence in this campaign. Star Colonel Redmond, I am giving you an assignment. You are to follow the Gray Death Legion. You are not to allow them to regroup, not to reform, and most of all, not to rejoin the Sentinels."

Redmond stared down at the maps, and her fingers spread over the Neuinn Valley. "Sir, there are passes that the Legion could take that we cannot get to in time. Moreover, they have a three hour head start and are marching fast." The Gray Death Legion had been able to pull out of the battle at Brunn in good order—thanks to the 124th Striker Cluster heading out after the Sentinels rather than attacking the Legion.

Malthus admitted to himself that his orders had been somewhat ambigious, but that did not excuse either Shambag's incompetence or Chi-Li's genocide. He was in no mood to sympathize with Redmond. "Then I suggest you march _faster,_ Star Colonel. Go." Redmond saluted, cheeks burning, and stormed off.

That left Kazumi. Malthus regarded him for a moment. He could chew Kazumi out as well: the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers had been on the Sentinels' flank and had not moved. Then again, given Shambag's snide dismissal of Kazumi, Malthus supposed he could not blame the man for deciding not to help her. He drew himself to attention. "Orders, Galaxy Commander?"

Malthus sighed. "None at the moment, Kazumi. But rest assured, you will have a place in the line of battle."

"Thank you, sir. Am I dismissed?"

"Aff." He returned Kazumi's salute and went back to the maps. He traced the Sentinels line of retreat, looking over the terrain. His fingers marched over Krummau, the Kalwaria River, and then the Covekanal. None of those were good defensive positions. That left one place left that allowed the Sentinels the chance to retreat to the Reichenberg DropPort, yet was still close enough that, if the Gray Death Legion could break contact with Redmond's 94th Striker Cluster, it would be able to link up with the Sentinels.

"Grunwald," he spoke aloud. "It must be Grunwald."

* * *

_Sudeten ComStar Relay Station, Reichenberg_

_Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth_

_14 January 3052_

"Isn't it absolutely grand?" Precentor Michael Sorrell said, looking at the holotank. On it was projected the current dispositions of both sides on Sudeten. These were facts known only to ComStar, and by extension himself.

North of the New Bohemian Mountains were red squares indicating the Sentinels, now busy retreating north. Their Gamma Battalion had reorganized itself at Krummau, having just escaped the holocaust at Avalanche Pass with the remnants of Todd Canis-Vlata's two companies. The rest of the Sentinels were forming up behind the Covekanal, south of the Grunwald Forest. The Gray Death Legion was at Innsbruck, having broken contact with the Clans, though how long that would last was unknown—the 94th Striker Cluster was right behind them, rapidly making up for lost time. As for the rest of the Jade Falcon forces, they were slowly making their way through the mountains, over narrow passes. That was taking time, precious time, but time was on the Clans' side.

So was Sorrell—for now. It had suited ComStar to cooperate with the invaders, closing down their hyperpulse generators that allowed them to control interplanetary communications. That this cut off first Inner Sphere defenders from any potential help or reinforcements, then resistance units from the same, did not matter to ComStar or Precentor Sorrell. After all, the leader of the quasi-religious organization, Primus Myndo Waterly, had decreed it so—and Waterly's decrees carried the same weight as a papal bull had to the ancient Catholic Church, with as much authority. Sorrell, who had worked his way dilligently through ComStar to reach the fairly prestigious rank of Precentor of Sudeten, had his eyes on the Precentorship of Tharkad—the Steiner half of the FedCom's capital, and his invitation into the First Circuit on Terra.

He noticed there had been no reply from Demi-Precentor Edward Wiessler, who stood across the holotank from him. Both wore the monkish robes of ComStar. "Don't you think it's grand, Edward?"

Wiessler did not look at him. "No, Precentor, I don't."

"Oh? Why not?"

"I don't like working with the Clans. Sir," he added belatedly.

Sorrell walked over to stand next to him. "Demi-Precentor, Demi-Precentor…you know that this is merely a temporary measure."

"Is it?" Wiessler replied disbelievingly. "We have shut down our HPG, sir. The Clans have been here nearly two weeks now. The Sentinels could have sent a message to any of the nearby planets—Antares, Colmar, any of them—for help in holding Sudeten."

"Edward, the AFFC has no intentions of holding Sudeten."

"We don't know that for sure, sir." Wiessler paused, gripping the sides of the holotank. "In any case, sir, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Sudeten is my home, Precentor."

"ComStar is your home, Demi-Precentor." Sorrell's voice carried just a hint of a threat.

"Of course, sir. But nonetheless, I know many people in the militia. Some of them may already be dead."

"We are remaining neutral," Sorrell insisted. "That's all."

"No, sir." Wiessler faced him directly. "We're helping the enemy. _That_ is what we're doing."

Sorrell didn't like the way this conversation was going. He knew Wiessler was from Sudeten, an orphan like so many ComStar acolytes. He had warned Precentor Tharkad about assigning such a man to command the ComGuard garrison that guarded the HPG station, but they had sent Wiessler, the Precentor Martial recommending him for his familiarity with the planet and high marks from the Sandhurst Academy, despite being young for such a rank. He and Sorrell had gotten along, until now.

He put up his hands in a peaceful gesture, smiling at Wiessler. "Please, Edward, please. Let the peace of Blake fill you and calm your soul. I understand it is difficult to watch this, but the Clans will be benevolent rulers, and we will help—"

"_Help?_" Wiessler's shout turned heads throughout the communications chamber, which was filled with acolytes and adepts on various duties. "Help them? Precentor, with respect, Star Colonel Chi-Li fired _deliberately_ into civilians trying to flee Budweis! He's killed prisoners! And we're supposed to _help_ that?"

"Now that is quite enough, young man." Sorrell put his hands on his hips. "Of course we will not help. Can you not see the Primus' vision? The Jade Falcons will be exhausted after taking Sudeten. When the time is correct, we will strike."

"And when is that time, Precentor? When the Clans are attacking Terra itself?"

"You have been listening to terrible rumors, Demi-Precentor—"

"Rumors?" Wiessler's bitter laughter cracked around the chamber. He quickly, angrily punched keys on the holotank. The map of Sudeten disappeared, replaced with that of the Inner Sphere. "Precentor, look. Look at where the Clans are aimed. Their target can only _be_ Terra."

Sorrell licked dry lips. Wiessler was right, but there had to be some overarching wisdom here that the young ComGuardsman was missing. Sorrell frantically thought through it, and said, "The Primus has a plan, Demi-Precentor. You must trust her."

Wiessler said nothing. He looked at Sorrell, then back at the map, then down at his boots. "Precentor Sorrell…I don't think the Primus has a plan. Other than to take over the Inner Sphere and have ComStar rule over it, with herself at its head."

Sorrell nodded vigorously. "Yes, Edward, yes! Of course that is her goal. It is ComStar's goal! Only our leadership, untainted by the rapaciousness of the Successor States and the ruthlessness of the Clans, can lead humanity into a new golden age. The people must look to us. They are too backwards to see this themselves. They must be led, Edward—and we are those leaders, people like you and I and the Primus."

Wiessler shook his head slowly. "I joined ComStar because I didn't want to be like the Successor States, Precentor. The War of 3039 took my parents from me. And I don't want to be like the Clans."

"I just said—"

"What you just said is that we're no better than a warmonger like Takashi Kurita or a murderer like Abraham Chi-Li." Anger darkened the young man's face. "If that is the Primus' plan, then she is wrong."

"It's the Blessed Blake's plan!" Sorrell insisted. Everyone was staring at them now; work had ceased.

"Then Blake was wrong too."

Sorrel gasped. "That is heresy!"

"No, Precentor. That is truth. I don't think Blake would have wanted us to help maniacs like Chi-Li or Cavell Malthus. He'd want us to fight them."

The Precentor was purple with rage. "How—how can you, a mere Demi-Precentor, claim to know the will of the Blessed Blake!"

"I don't, Precentor, and I may be damned for it. But I will certainly be damned if I stand here and watch _my_ world and _my_ people get devoured by the Jade Falcons."

Sorrell took a step back. "You are a heretic and a traitor." He snapped his fingers at another ComGuard, Adept Brianna Thomas. "You—place him under arrest and lock him up. We will hold a trial once the campaign on Sudeten is over."

Thomas unsnapped her holster and drew her pistol, aiming it at Wiessler—then turned it on Sorrell. "No. With all respect, sir, Demi-Precentor Wiessler is right. I didn't sign on to help the Clans conquer the Inner Sphere."

"I'll have you beaten—" Sorrell took a step towards Thomas, but she thumbed the hammer back, the pistol steady and aimed between Sorrell's eyes. She and Wiessler shared a nod, and the latter turned to two more acolytes. "Precentor Sorrell is sick. Confine him to his quarters and cut off all communications." They hesitated for a moment, then drew their own sidearms and led off the spluttering Precentor.

Wiessler looked around the communications chamber. "I realize what I am doing is against the Primus' directives. I also believe that she is not doing what our beloved founder would have wished. This may be heresy. If anyone feels they cannot in good conscience go along with me, I give you leave to return to your quarters for the duration of the emergency. I will take full responsibility."

There was silence in the chamber. A few adepts got up from their stations, shut down their equipment, and walked out. None of them even glanced at Wiessler as they did so. The others simply stood, awaiting orders. "Very well, then. Return to stations and maintain standing orders for now. We won't be contacting Tharkad or Terra. Or the Clans."

He punched up the map of Sudeten again. Thomas came up to stand beside him. "I'm glad you did that, sir," she said quietly. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"I do."

"How will we help?"

Wiessler zoomed in on Grunwald. "Any way we can."


	7. Surprises All Around

_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_ _Again, sorry for the long delay between updates, but now that Christmas break has started, I hope to finish this story and the Snowbird Saga. It won't be long now, I hope. _

_Sharp-eyed readers might notice a few parallels between the upcoming battle and Waterloo, which is fine. I also had to paraphrase General Lee a little from the movie _Gettysburg.

_You ComStar fans out there will hopefully forgive me for being a bit iffy on how the ComGuards organize themselves. I had to take an educated guess._

_Anyway, as always, enjoy. I hope to have a new (and longer) chapter up as soon as I can._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER: _

_FraserMage: Awesome. I'm glad I can make even a ComStar guy likeable. I hadn't really based him on John Sheridan (I'm not a Babylon 5 fan, despite the best efforts of a college roommate), but yeah, that works._

_Reader: Mmm…could be._

_Rogue: I wished I could've fleshed out Todd's character a bit more. He was originally one of the first MechWarriors I created when I made up the Sentinels back in 1989. (Yes, I've been playing this game for 20 years now. Geez, I feel old.) As for the Clans stomping heads, you have to remember that Chi-Li's bunch have a serious mad-on for Inner Sphere warriors, mercenaries in particular, after what happened to the Falcon Guards on Twycross. According to the Jade Falcon Sourcebook, anyhow._

_Mosin: You'd think, but look at recent conflicts. Some things never change._

_MUSIC CORNER: "Bumblebee" from _Transformers, _"Caislean Oir" by Clannad, and "Crockett's Theme" from the old _Miami Vice_ show (or _GTA Vice City_)._

* * *

_Krummau_

_Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth_

_16 January 3052_

"Star Colonel Kazumi reporting as ordered, Galaxy Commander."

Cavell Malthus turned and smiled. "Ah, good evening, Kazumi. How are you?"

"Very well, sir; thank you for asking."

Cavell swept a hand across the holomap. "Well, there is Calla Bighorn-Vlata's position. What do you think?"

Kazumi assumed that Cavell was asking for a legitimate assessment, and so gave him one. "Are these dispositions accurate, sir?"

"As of the last reconnaissance pass, aff."

Kazumi bent down, looking at the holomap from 'Mech level. "He's a student of Wellington, ovkhan. What he shows you is a façade—his real strength is behind the hills, here. A classic reverse-slope defense. He has anchored his line on the towns of Eger and Pilsen. In the middle is the woods here—the Grunwald. A good fallback position should we break through."

"Also a good position to hide a reserve force. Last report we had from ComStar, however, reported that the Sentinels have none."

"Do you believe ComStar, ovkhan?"

Cavell smiled. "They have never let us down before, but neg, I do not trust them." He shrank the holomap down to show the whole region of Sudeten. "Bighorn-Vlata intends to make a stand here. He has nailed himself to the ridge, quiaff? I am deducing that his endgame is to fight us to a draw, perhaps even a victory, then retreat from Sudeten. Should he inflict enough casualties, he may be able to delay our next wave." Cavell pointed to the Neuinn Valley. "The Gray Death Legion is moving north, but Redmond has caught up."

"The Legion is fighting particularly hard, ovkhan."

"I know. And that is fine. All I require of Redmond is maintain contact and keep the Legion from assisting the Sentinels." Cavell zoomed in the map again to Grunwald. "While I do not trust ComStar, I do trust my own eyes. I believe you are right, Star Colonel. Calla is not showing us his whole hand—but he is counting on the Gray Death Legion to break contact with Redmond's 94th Striker Cluster and come to his aid. Much like Wellington at Waterloo, quiaff? He wants Grayson Carlyle to be Marshal Blucher for him. Not this time, Star Colonel. I am not Napoleon…mainly because I have options Napoleon did not have."

He touched another key, and the holomap rotated around. Behind the Grunwald forest was a break in the woods, surrounding a small lake. Cavell tapped a finger on it. "This is called Keogh Glen. From here it is only three kilometers to the very rear of the Sentinels line.

"My plan has little finesse, Kazumi. I intend to use the 4th Falcon Talon to turn his right flank, while the 124th Striker hits the Sentinels head on." Cavell smiled. "However, I have an ace up my sleeve, and that is the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers. I intend to drop you behind the Sentinels at Keogh Glen."

At first, Kazumi blanched. Vertical envelopment had been a tried and true tactic for over a thousand years, but it had never gotten any less risky or dangerous. If one caught the enemy by surprise and there wasn't much in the way of ground defenses, then the landing could be made easily, and once deployed, such a unit would be squarely in the enemy's rear areas, cutting off their retreat, or at the least, providing a deadly distraction at the worst possible time. That said, if the enemy was alerted, and/or the ground defenses strong, it could be a massacre. DropShips could be swatted out of the sky with all hands, and what managed to make it to the ground would be swiftly cut off themselves and overrun. "The Sentinels AeroWing?" Kazumi asked.

"They will have their hands full over the battlefield. By the time they have detected you, you will already be on the ground. I leave that planning to you, Kazumi."

Kazumi studied the map further. It could be done. If the drop was delayed until the battle had already started, chances were the Sentinels' strong aeroforces would already be committed; Bighorn-Vlata would likely have stripped Reichenberg of all but militia. He might also be able to work in a feint: if he made it look like he was heading towards the Reichenberg DropPort itself, the Sentinels might rush units there to defend their only way off the planet. He could then make a hard burn down and land at Keogh Glen before the enemy could react. Kazumi mentally shrugged. If it failed, so what? The 133rd was likely to be broken up as replacements after the campaign was over in any case; better to go out in a blaze of glory, one way or the other.

He looked up at Cavell. "It will be done, ovkhan."

Cavell's smile broadened. "Good." He knew Kazumi would pull off the risky drop or die trying. Cavell hoped it would work, but not just merely for himself—also for the older warrior as well. If it did and Kazumi lived, and of course if the Jade Falcons won the battle, Cavell might make him a formal aide-de-camp. Kazumi would be a valuable ally against Vandervahn Chistu—a Jade Falcon, male version of Natasha Kerensky that Cavell could use as ilKhan Ulric Kerensky used Natasha against his enemies. They exchanged salutes and Kazumi went off to see to getting the 133rd ready; there was a lot to do and not much time to do it.

Cavell, alone except for the techs around him in the command post, gazed out over the holomap, and felt an unexpected twinge of sadness. He intended to destroy the Sentinels on Sudeten, and if there would be any survivors that made it to their DropShips in Reichenberg, it would not be enough to reconstitute the unit again. Calla Bighorn-Vlata Cavell fully intended to kill, though he regretted that he would have to do so: an adversary like that was simply too dangerous to have as a bondsman. Cavell had learned that lesson with Calla's daughter. It was a shame, really. Calla was an honorable opponent, worthy of Cavell's best and Jade Falcon steel. His daughter, less so. Cavell respected Sheila, but would never forgive her for taking his protégé Senefa away; in any case, Sheila Arla-Vlata was almost certainly dead on Kagoshima, if the Smoke Jaguars were to be believed.

Cavell sighed and blanked the holomap. Tomorrow the game would end. He turned and walked from the command post, intent on dinner and a decent night's sleep.

He didn't notice a tech, who had been trying to conceal his boredom at watching the space around Sudeten's nadir point, suddenly sit up. "Unidentified DropShip, this is Sudeten Jade Falcon control. State your registry and business. Be aware that an exclusion zone has been set up around the planet. If you are civilian, turn around and return to your JumpShip or be destroyed." His hand went up, instantly drawing the attention of the senior controller. The latter came over and leaned over the tech's shoulder. One word, and a squadron of fighters would be heading for the DropShip.

"Jade Falcon control, this is the Clan Wolf DropShip _Eagle_. We are an _Overlord-_class DropShip bringing BattleMechs and replacement parts from the depot at Mozrije. Sending orders and manifest now."

The senior controller read the screen as the orders appeared. It was the acknowledgement of the order of ten _Naga_ artillery 'Mechs and replacement ammunition stocks, from Clan Wolf. That was a little unusual, the tech thought, but certainly not unknown for even long rivals like the Wolves and the Jade Falcons to trade parts and 'Mechs. Everyone knew that Cavell was breaking with Clan tradition and assembling a huge "Grand Battery" of _Nagas_; this would increase the number to a full Trinary. The senior controller whistled at that. The orders were correct, and the manifest signed off by one Conal Ward of the Wolves, with his personal sigils attached. The identification codes were a little old, but that was not to be surprised at; the rear was always the last to get the new stuff. He nodded at the tech. "DropShip _Eagle,_ this is Sudeten control. You are cleared through the cordon. Land at grid square 30-30 to offload."

* * *

"Understood, Sudeten Control. _Eagle_ out." Captain Robert Baron turned to Sheila Arla-Vlata. "Well, what do you know? You _can_ make the same trick work twice."

"It didn't work the first time," Sheila replied, blowing out her breath in relief.

"Yeah, but only because that Wolf guy on Vantaa was screwing the real captain of the real _Eagle._" Baron was not about let the good mood evaporate. It had been a rather nifty plan: the clearance codes for the _Minerva_ when she had been disguised as the _Eagle_ had never been compromised, and certainly the Jade Falcons were not likely to know of the romantic attachment between Carmin Winson of the Wolves and Captain Jaime of the _Eagle._ Combined with the personal codes of Conal Ward, the Wolf commander at Mozrije, where the Snowbirds had captured his personal belongings, it made for the perfect ruse. "I told you it would work, Commander."

Sheila smiled back, but she didn't really feel it. It had been a hard trip, pushing the _Minerva_ to the limit; she had to practically put a gun to the head of a JumpShip captain to warp into Sudeten space, and the captain had informed her vehemently that once they broke into realspace, the _Minerva_ was going to be dropped off and be on its own. The command circuit had worked wonders and gotten the Snowbirds to Sudeten in less than a week, but that had been the easy part. The hard part was just beginning. "What happens when we don't go to grid square 30-30? If the Jade Falcons are using the same maps as ComStar, that's practically in the middle of the Jade Falcon camp. We'd get gunned down the minute they see the Sentinels crest on the hull."

"Already got it planned out," Baron assured Sheila. "On final burn-in, I'll fake a center drive failure and tell them we have to put it down as soon as possible…say, here—grid square 30-45, which is where you want to go, right? That'll put you squarely on the Jade Falcon flank, with hills between you and the Clanners. They won't suspect a thing. Nobody wants a DropShip with a squirrelly central drive coming down on top of them." He winked at Sheila. "What, you think that you MechWarriors have the market cornered on doing something incredibly stupid?"

* * *

Night fell on Sudeten. At the northern end of the Neuinn Valley, the Gray Death Legion had turned and attacked the 94th Striker Cluster. Grayson Carlyle had been unable to break contact with the tenacious Kristen Redmond, but that, Calla Bighorn-Vlata thought, was probably the best they could do. At least it meant that the 94th Striker would not be able to come across and hit Calla's left flank. It would be even numbers tomorrow as it was, which meant the battle could go in either direction—Clan firepower versus the Sentinels' strong positions. That meant it would come down to the individual MechWarrior, and Calla wondered if his mix of veterans and newbies would hold up; he could only hope that Cavell Malthus was facing the same sort of manpower problems.

Calla knew he should get some sleep. He glanced over to where his wife already slept; somehow, no matter how long the odds or desperate the situation, Arla Bighorn-Vlata had never any problem sleeping before a battle. Calla had gotten the manager of the hotel he had taken over as a command post move a rollaway bed into the room, for his cousin Mira. Mira, however, had chosen to sleep in her _Battlemaster—_if she was able to sleep, Calla reflected. He wondered if Mira had slept at all since hearing of the death of her husband Todd, except to cry herself to sleep. He felt a pang of sorrow for his old friend: even when Todd's drinking had been at its worst, their friendship had remained. Now he was gone too. _We expect the occasional empty chair, a toast to fallen comrades,_ Calla remembered one of his old Nagelring instructors saying once, _but never so many of us, never all of us._ Calla fully intended to win the next day's battle, but casualties would almost certainly be high. He wondered who would fall this time, if any of them would live.

He glanced at the clock. 0100 local. He had to get some sleep. His plan was as good as it could be, and it was simple: hold the ridge, let Cavell Malthus bash himself to death against it, and then, if the time was right, launch a spoiling attack or fall back into the Grunwald forest. There was no question that he or Carlyle could hold Sudeten, but Calla intended to make the Jade Falcons pay for every meter. Sooner or later, the Clans' offensive would run out of steam. There were indications that it already was, except in the Wolves' sector: the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats had been stopped cold at Luthien; the Ghost Bears were running into increasingly tough going; now it was the Jade Falcons' turn for a bloody nose somewhere. It might as well be Sudeten.

Calla stared at the map, one more time. There was a huge flaw in his plan, and he knew it: the Sentinels had no reserves. If the Jade Falcons broke through anywhere, the Sentinels were dead. He had nothing left to plug a breach. On Persistence, when he had first fought Cavell Malthus, Ceta Battalion had been held in reserve, and when the time was right, Todd Canis had met a Jade Falcon breakthrough head on, preserving the line and allowing the Sentinels to escape from Persistence nearly intact. But now there was no Ceta Battalion and no Todd Canis.

There was a soft knock on the door. Calla crossed over to answer it. It was one of his staff—James Habersohn, who had joined the Sentinels as a "retread" from the defunct 719th Striker Regiment that the Sentinels had absorbed before Vantaa. He was a good man, with a beautiful wife and an eleven-year old son, and had easily taken the place on the staff once filled by Sheila. "Jim?" Calla asked.  
"Call for you, sir. It's Demi-Precentor Edward Wiessler from the Reichenberg HPG station."

"What the hell does he want?" Calla snapped. He winced. "Sorry, Jim, you didn't deserve that."

"That's okay, sir. He says he wants to talk to you and won't tell me why."

"Probably wants to make sure there's a smooth transition to his authority when we leave, so he can hand it over to the Clans. I don't want to talk to him." Nonetheless, Calla followed Habersohn out into the former lobby of the small hotel, now filled with the computers and radios needed to coordinate a regiment. It was mostly deserted, except for a skeleton staff. Habersohn wasn't one of them. "Jim, go and get some sleep. I'm keeping you awake."

"It's okay," Habersohn repeated. "I don't mind, sir."

Calla was too tired to argue, went behind the front desk, and sat down in front of the communications linkup. On the screen was a haggard-looking youn g man, dressed in the expected ComStar robes. Calla smiled wryly. _Nice to know I'm not the only one losing sleep._ "The Peace of Blake be with you, Commander," Wiessler said before Calla could speak.

"Whatever," Calla replied. He had never liked ComStar: supposedly neutral for the last four hundred years, running interstellar communications from literally the center of it all on Terra in what they claimed was complete fairness. He knew better: ComStar's loyalty was only to themselves, and even the so-called holy Precentors could be bought. Their worship of technology and near-deification of their founder, Jerome Blake, also didn't sit well with him. "What do you want, Demi-Precentor? Where's Precentor Sorrel?"

"Indisposed, Commander." Wiessler hesitated. "In that I've had him temporarily arrested and locked up," he continued.

"None of my business what you robes do," Calla answered.

"This time it is, sir." Wiessler's expression was hard. "Commander Bighorn-Vlata, you know, I'm sure, that ComStar has pursued a neutral stance in this conflict with the Clans—"

"Only too damned well. Get to the point, Demi-Precentor."

"I'm placing my unit at your disposal, Commander."

That woke Calla up. "Excuse me?"

"I'm placing Detachment III of the 388th Division at your disposal, Commander Bighorn-Vlata."

Calla rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming. "Did the Primus order this?"

Wiessler laughed. "Ah, no, Commander. It was on my own initiative."

"Which explains why Precentor Sorrel is under arrest."

"Yes, sir."

"Why?" was all Calla could say.

"Sudeten is my home too, Commander. I grew up in Krummau. We're going to have to fight the Clans sooner or later, sir. I've already heard rumors to that effect from the Precentor Martial. We're just going to have to start early."

"The Primus is going to have your ass on a plate for this," Calla warned.

"She'll have to get in line, Commander."

"Well, well. A Precentor with balls. I didn't know they existed." Calla leaned back in his chair, all of a sudden almost giddy. "What the hell, then. More the merrier. You've got, what, a lance there? Bring them over—"

"Lance?" Wiessler looked confused. "Sir, I don't have a lance…oh, you must not be familiar with ComStar nomenclature. I've got a three—what we call a company. Eighteen 'Mechs."

Calla's mouth dropped open. "You're shitting me. ComStar usually doesn't assign more than a lance to guard a HPG station."

"Normally, yes. But there was fear that you would…ah…seize the HPG station when the Clans arrived, Commander. I'm afraid your reputation for hating our holy Order preceded you." Wiessler shrugged. "You probably saw us rotating in six 'Mechs every now and then. We just simply never rotated any lances out."

Calla was grinning foolishly now, and knew it, and didn't care. "Demi-Precentor, get your people together and march as fast as you can down here. If we make it through this, I'm going to find Primus Waterly and kiss her."

"She probably won't appreciate it, sir, but I'm already on my way."

"Meet me at Keogh Glen. Out." Calla signed off, and turned to Jim Habersohn, who looked as stunned as Calla felt. "Well, I'll be damned."


	8. Grunwald Begins

_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_ _The final battle finally begins! Told you I would update a little better over the break. Not much to say here, other than the next two (or three) chapters should be chock-full of 'Mech battle goodness, with some infantry stuff thrown in too._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER: _

_Rogue: I would think you would _hope_ the dropoff goes like Market-Garden—since it's the Clans doing the dropping! As far as Keogh Glen goes, no, it's not a play on "Geohegan" from _We Were Soldiers_ (though I did just watch that recently)—it's actually a very oblique reference to Miles Keogh, one of Custer's troop commanders. And no, I'm actually not making a reference to the Little Bighorn here; I just needed a name and that one immediately came to mind, from one of my students whose paper on Little Bighorn I had just graded. Take your inspiration where you can get it!_

_SulliMike: First we'll see if Wiessler survives long enough for Waterly to get pissed. But hey, the ComGuards got guts too._

_MUSIC CORNER: "Until the End of the World" by Apotygma Berzerk, "Peleliu" from the _Victory at Sea_ soundtrack, and "Helm's Deep" from _Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers _soundtrack._

* * *

_Colmar Woods_

_Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth_

_17 January 3052_

Sheila looked out over what had been two Points of Elementals. The bodies were scattered in an arc, cut down in an instant. None had survived the wrath of the Snowbirds' OmniMechs, which had been lying in wait around the _Minerva,_ or the DropShip's guns. More importantly, none had gotten off a radio message that neither the _Minerva's_ supposed center drive failure nor the DropShip itself had been true. The Snowbirds were more or less home.

She turned to her assembled troops, gathered on the ramp of the _Minerva._ There were 88 Snowbirds left, not counting Nicia Caii's techs: 28 BattleMechs, six aerofighters, and eight tanks. It was still a formidable force, even if the tank crews were a mishmash now, crews mixed together with survivors from other crews; Virginia Lossiemouth still unable to command her squadron; and four MechWarriors still on the sick list—Betsy Drakon, awake and alert but still recovering from the terrible wound she had taken at Kagoshima; Senefa Malthus, hobbling around on her broken leg; Tam Seneca, who had begun having dizzy spells and been "grounded" by the doctor for fear of aggravating the concussion he had taken on New Caledonia; and Elfa Browoak, heavily pregnant. On the way in, Elfa had been in considerable pain, but a quick once-over from the _Minerva's_ corpsman had shown it merely the pressure from returning to Earth-normal gravity after over a week in half-gravity. Still, Elfa was going nowhere near a 'Mech, and for once she didn't argue. Senefa was another story, but Sheila had to put that off.

"Gather 'round," she told them, and they made a semicircle around her. "We're fifty kilometers from Grunwald Plain. We can make it there at a run in an hour, even our slowest 'Mechs. But it's going to depend on something we don't often use—stealth." She turned and pointed towards the woods surrounding them. "We'll have good cover almost all the way to the plain. I'm hoping the Jade Falcon aerofighters will have other things on their minds rather than looking for us screwing around in the forest. With luck, they won't see us until we're almost right behind the Jade Falcons. When we get there—well, we've got a pretty tough bunch here. I think we can do some hurting. If nothing else, they'll have to withdraw some forces from the front to parry us, which'll take some pressure off the regiment."

Megan O'Reilly raised a hand. "What happens if we find ourselves tangling with more than we can handle?"

"Withdraw back to the _Minerva_, or if we can, to the east." They knew that the Gray Death Legion was in that direction, somewhere, and the general location of the forces on the Grunwald Plain, but that was all. Any sort of further recon had been impossible, as had been Sheila's desire to inform her father the Snowbirds were back. She didn't know the right radio frequencies, and broadcasting in the clear was asking for Jade Falcon attention. She nodded at Captain Baron. "That goes for you too, Captain. If the _Minerva_ comes under attack from more than Elementals, raise ship and get the hell out of here. Worry about us later." He returned the nod.

Now came the tough part. She turned to the tank crews. "Tank guys and girls, you're not coming with us." She raised a hand to stifle the exclamations and curses of indignation. "I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. Hovertanks can't operate well in woods, and I don't want you wrapping yourself around a tree."

"Sheila," Moore protested, "we can go around to the north, get on the Pilsen-Troppau highway, and be there just as fast—"

"And get gunned down on the road by Jade Falcon fighters," Sheila cut him off. "Once you clear the woods and assuming you can cross the Isar River, you'll be out in the open. The hovertanks might make it, but what about the Ontoses and the Stumfeur? They'd be sitting ducks and you know it." She faced them, hating to do this. The tankers had fought like tigers, and now she had to muzzle them. "The other reason is that if we're spotted by the Jade Falcons, we _might_ be able to fool them into thinking we're their reinforcements—I'm going to have the Omnis out in the lead, and the Jade Falcon second-stringers have been using modded Inner Sphere 'Mechs lately. We're not going to fool anyone if we've got tanks with us. I'm sorry," she repeated, "but that's my decision."

"Aye, and that's bullshit," Fianna Cassidy snapped, but Moore instantly shut her up with a glare. Sheila noticed, and thought that in the last four months, Moore had matured quite a bit as a commander.

"I obey under protest, Commander," Moore told her hotly.

"Duly noted, Dave." She sighed, wishing there was another way. "Tam, I'm scrubbing you from the mission as well."

"Say _what?"_ Seneca yelled. "I'm fine—the docs cleared me—"

"No, they didn't," Sheila replied gently. "I checked."

"Well, screw them!" Seneca protested. "I'm fine, dammit."

"Okay, Tam," Mimi Stykkis said. "Stand on one foot and close your eyes."

Seneca threw her a nasty look and closed his eyes. He had barely raised one foot when he nearly toppled over. "Fuck!" he shouted and almost threw his neurohelmet before Nicia Caii put a hand on his shoulder. With his sense of balance off, he wouldn't be able to move the _Loki_ at all. Picking off the Elementals from ambush had been easy, but he hadn't had to move.

"Tam, I still have a job for you." She motioned at Elfa's _Loki_, which had been assigned to Seneca. It had seen better days, missing huge patches of armor; the Snowbirds had finally run out of patches of Clan ferro-fibrous armor, and House Kurita had only provided so much in the way of salvage. Kurita had presented Hohiro Noribetsu with a practically mint _Ryoken_ before he had made the choice to join the Snowbirds, and Nicia had used up just about every armor patch they had fixing up Michael Vragel's _Ryoken_ after the damage Felisanna had taken. "You may not be able to walk, but you can shoot. I'm leaving you and the _Loki_ here. If any more Falcon Elementals happen along, you can bluff them until you get close." She poked him in the cooling vest. "This is important, Tam. You and the tanks will be needed here to defend the _Minerva._"

"I know," Seneca replied. "It still sucks."

"It may not," Marion Rhialla said quietly. "If we all get iced, someone's got to keep the Snowbirds alive."

That threw a blanket of silence across the gathering. Rhialla was correct, Sheila thought: there was no guarantee that her plan would remotely work, and the Snowbirds could be marching to their deaths. They were prepared to do that, prepared to follow her into hell if necessary now, but Sheila wondered if she would have to choose between her regiment and her battalion. And she already knew which she would choose. "All right. Any questions?"

Marcus Drax raised his hand. "Yeah, Commander. Can I have all that manga you got if you buy the farm?"

Sheila chuckled. "Sure, Marcus. Even the yaoi."

"Like hell," Tooriu Kku growled at Drax. "That shit is _mine._"

The laughter was thin, but it was needed. When it had faded, Sheila reached down, picked up her neurohelmet, and nodded once. "Okay. Let's go."

The Snowbirds broke up at that point, with much handshakes, hugs, and kisses around, mainly between those that were going and those that were staying behind. Sheila watched sadly as Tooriu kissed Elfa, having to go through a few contortions to get over her swollen belly. The situation had a funeral air to it, and Sheila considered for an instant calling them all back, telling them to forget it, and leave Sudeten. She couldn't do that of course, for reasons not just limited to duty.

Senefa hobbled out of the crowd and came straight for Sheila, who winced, knowing what was coming. "Senefa, you're not going, and that's final," she said before the Clanswoman could even open her mouth.

"I can pilot," Senefa said simply.

"No, you can't, and you know it. Even if I had a 'Mech to give you."

"Give me the _Loki._"

Sheila shook her head. "For the last time, _no, _Senefa."

"Sheila, I am Clan! It is my _rede,_ my promise—"

"Captain Baron!" Sheila called out, and Baron walked over. "Captain, I want you to place Senefa Malthus under arrest. Confine her to the ship. If she tries to escape, throw her in the brig, brain her with a wrench, whatever…but she's not going."

"Yes, ma'am." Baron smiled weakly at Senefa; the last thing he wanted was an angry Clanner, even one that was crippled. "Now, Lance Commander, let's be reasonable—" Senefa ignored him, glared at Sheila, then turned and hobbled into the _Minerva_.

"Do the best you can, Captain."

"I'll try." He put out a hand and Sheila shook it. "I don't have the words."

"Me neither." Sheila turned and walked briskly for her _Shruiken_, feeling the tears threatening to come on, and knowing she didn't have time for them.

Max waited. "I guess this is it," Sheila said, her voice breaking.

"Yeah." He paused, then drew her into a fierce hug. "You're not going to die, Sheila."

"I know," she sniffed, "but…does _He?_" She pointed at the sky.

"I'll have a talk with Him on that." He held her face in his hands and kissed her.

"You better not die either," she told him when they broke the kiss.

"I won't."

Then there was nothing left to say. They hugged and kissed one last time, then Max quickly turned and ran for his _Battlemaster_, unable to keep his emotions in check. Sheila wiped her eyes and climbed up the ladder to the cockpit. It was time for the Snowbirds to get back in the war. Something told Sheila this would be the last battle, one way or the other.

* * *

_Grunwald Plain_

_Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth_

_17 January 3052_

Calla Bighorn-Vlata gazed out over the long Grunwald Plain from the foot of his _Battlemaster._ Fog had settled into the valley between the two armies, hiding the Iser River, but the sun was already up and it would burn off. Puffy cumulus clouds dotted the sky, but it looked to be a beautiful day. Somehow, that seemed wrong for there to be a pretty sky over a valley that would become a slaughterhouse in short order.

The hovertank scouts of Ceta Battalion—the Sentinels Tank Battalion had received its new designation only days before—had come back reporting that the Jade Falcons were taking their time forming up, and through his binoculars, Calla could see the ranks starting to shake out, out of all but long-range artillery range. He could easily pick out the lighter 'Mechs of the 4th Falcon Talon forming up on the right, with the heavier 'Mechs of the 124th Striker Cluster on the left. Behind them were ten of the new _Naga_ artillery 'Mechs that Cavell Malthus apparently had some affection for, since he was using them more and more; they were formed up into a single massed battery. Elementals were taking up position forward of the 'Mechs to act as skirmishers. Two units he didn't see were the 94th Striker Cluster and the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers. Calla knew the 94th was locked in a battle with the Gray Death Legion, who was not only making the 94th pay for every kilometer of the Neuinn Valley, but also keeping the 94th from breaking contact and coming across to crash into Calla's left flank. That could still happen, but Calla had to trust Grayson Carlyle. On the other hand, it deprived him of reinforcements as well. As for the 133rd, they were supposedly only a little more than two Trinaries; Calla figured that Cavell was keeping them behind _his_ reverse slope, to be used to guard the _Nagas_ or for exploiting a breakthrough.

Calla sipped his coffee. "Go ahead," he whispered towards the forming Jade Falcons, "take your time. I got all day." He turned and walked over to his commanders, gathered near a solitary oak tree. They all smiled with false cheer and salutes went around.

"I'll make this simple," Calla said. "Our job is to stop the Jade Falcons and inflict as much damage as possible. We can't just pack it in early. If we start pulling back _anywhere_ on the line, the Falcons will exploit it and we'll get wiped out long before we can make it back to Reichenberg. I want to hold as long as possible. Nightfall would be best, but we'll see. Nobody retreats without my express order, or Mira's." She nodded, looking better but grimly determined this morning. Mira Canis-Vlata intended to put some blood on the walls today to avenge her husband, and possibly a son.

"Arla," Calla said to his wife, "I want you there—Eger. It's a walled village, good ground. You'll hold our right flank. I expect the 4th Falcon Talon to try and bypass you, but their Elementals will have to keep your heads down, so they will probably try to assault." Calla cursed himself silently; Arla was his wife, the love of his life, and now he was having to use her like a chess piece to plug a hole.

"Done," was all Arla said. She had been leading the Sentinel Light Infantry for nearly twenty years; their trust in each other was absolute.

"Dick," Calla addressed Richard Cannon next, commander of Ceta Battalion, "I want your tanks behind the hill supporting Eger. If the 4th Talon bypasses Eger, they'll run into you. Keep your guys hull down so they don't see you."

"Okay," Cannon replied, "but my tanks won't last long against 'Mechs."

"I know, which is why Gamma will be right next to you. That's you, Lexi." Lexi Rowley nodded. Her unit was a bit worse for wear, but combined with the tanks they should be able to hold off the 4th Talon. "I'll put my 'Mechs on the skyline," Rowley was saying. "They're arrogant bastards, so they'll probably come at me. You get on their flank and pour it into 'em. How's that sound?"

"A lot better," Cannon agreed.

"Good idea. Just make sure they don't get too far forward." Calla looked to Mira and Catherine Houndlikov next. "Alpha and Beta Battalions will form up right here." He made a line with his fingers, just in front of the slope. "They'll have to come up the hill, which'll slow 'em down a bit. Nothing fancy: we'll just meet them with cold steel."

"Alpha's a little banged up," Mira said.

"I know. I'll have my headquarters unit over on the left flank." Calla pointed at the distant Clan 'Mechs. "I don't think Cavell's going to waste too much time with fancy tricks, but if any of you get a chance to counterattack him, if he does something stupid and loses unit cohesion, or tries to envelop us on both flanks, hit him. Just don't go beyond the Iser. Dave," Calla said to David d'Argentan, "I know this your first big action, but just keep it hot for the Clanners. Counterbattery those _Nagas_ if you can, but let's see if we can whittle things down a bit along the river line, and make sure you've got plenty of rounds for the Elementals. Arla has first call for artillery."

"You got it." D'Argentan had taken over the two batteries of Sentinel tube artillery—Long Toms and Snipers—a week before, after the previous commander had been killed by a Jade Falcon strafer. That reminded Calla of two people who were not here, the fighter pilots of the Sentinels Aerowing: Elizabeth Dowlings, long dead, and Martin St. Mawgan, the new commander of the Aerowing. He was already up, waiting for his own counterparts to duel.

"If the Falcons look like they're going to retreat, let them. Time is on our side, not theirs," Calla cautioned. "We can afford to outlast the bastards." He paused. "Casualties are going to be high. I don't see any way of avoiding it. If you're surrounded and it looks hopeless, try and break out, but if you can't, surrender."

"Assuming the Clanners feel like taking prisoners today," Houndlikov growled. "That Chi-Li asshole commands the 124th Striker. He hasn't been taking prisoners."

"It's up to you if you want to," Calla replied. Chi-Li was one Jade Falcon he wanted this battle to claim. If the Jade Falcons didn't feel much like taking prisoners, Calla saw no reason why the Sentinels should. It would be a battle to the death. "Any other questions?"

"Just one, sir. Where do you want us?" Demi-Precentor Edward Wiessler looked strange amongst the tired Sentinels, in their gray uniforms; he was fresh and his uniform was ComStar white, complete with hood, though he had left that down. The others had stared at him with suspicion, and Calla wasn't entirely convinced of Wiessler either.

"You're the reserve, Precentor. Anything that breaks through the line, you kill. If you're still uncommitted and we have to retreat, you're the rear guard. I want you behind the slope. Let's keep you under wraps." Calla regarded the young man for a moment. "You do realize that you may be signing your death warrant. The Clans don't like turncoats. Neither do I, by the way." Calla's voice was cold.

"Not a problem," Wiessler assured them with a slight smile. "We'll do fine. We've got nowhere to run."

* * *

Danielle Blackthorn sat tensed on her ejection seat. Beta Battalion was in open ranks, each lance staggered in a rough triangle to avoid one artillery missile taking two 'Mechs out at once, but still close enough together to mass fire if necessary. For the fiftieth time, or so it seemed, she scanned her instrument panel. Her _Enforcer_ was ready to go.

The fog remained thick in her area of the valley, though she could see blue sky above and it had thinned enough for her to see both her lancemates on either side of her—Terrence Newbury in his _Centurion_ and Echo Resaca in her _Warhammer_. That done, she dried her hands on her MechWarrior shorts. "The old heads are right," she said to no one in particular. "It's the waiting that's the worst." She wondered how her sister Tessya stood it. She wished her sister was there now. Tessya always seemed so strong and sure, and Danielle, though she would never admit it, worshiped her. But there had been no word from Kagoshima, with ComStar shutting down the HPG. She had wanted to try and corner the Demi-Precentor, beat the information out of him if necessary, but there hadn't been time. At least she had been through her first fight now, a skirmish with some Jade Falcons outside Krummau. It wasn't much, but she had been shot at. After wetting her pants, she had recovered nicely and even gotten a piece of someone…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flash on the horizon, and then a smoke trail overhead. She instinctively ducked and thought she heard an explosion far away.

"Beta Battalion, stand fast." Houndlikov's voice crackled in her neurohelmet. "That was just the opening gun." Now the entire horizon lit up, and the sky filled with smoke trails. "That's more like it. Hold your positions, Betas. They'll be along shortly."

Blackthorn swallowed. Her _Enforcer_ was rocked with near misses; it had to be the Arrow IV artillery missiles fired by the _Nagas._ They were overshooting, firing high, though it meant that Beta/3 would be taking hits; she belonged to Beta/2, under the command of Steven dal-Jaggar. _Better them than me,_ Blackthorn thought, then felt bad about it.

"Buffalo Hunters, enemy front!" Allen Coyle, Blackthorn's lance commander, was in an _Axeman_. "Here they come!"

Blackthorn stole a glance at her instruments as an alarm warbled in her cockpit: someone had her locked on. She slammed the control sticks to the left, and the alarm shut off. _Who the hell…_then she saw it. "Buffalo Four! _Mad Cat,_ 420 meters front!"

The _Mad Cat_ loomed out the fog, its gray paint having kept it disguised. The pilot seemed just as surprised to see her as she was to see him, and Blackthorn had a split-second to act. She raised the Autocannon/10 and fired. The Clansman threw up an arm to cover his 'Mech's cockpit, though the shells shattered armor. She followed it up with two lasers, carving slices into the _Mad Cat's_ flank armor. Having done her worst, Blackthorn backwalked, hoping the fog would hide her and knowing it wouldn't. The _Mad Cat_ seemed to shrug off the hits, and fired back, impaling her _Enforcer_ on twin PPC bolts. She kept her 'Mech upright, but the damage schematic showed heavy damage to her chest. "Buffalo Three, where are you?" She scored another hit with her autocannon, which caused the _Mad Cat_ to fire a PPC bolt wide, but another nearly stripped her left leg of armor. She looked around frantically, but there was no sign of any help.

Then Coyle's _Axeman_ suddenly came out of the murk. Its Autocannon/20, twice the size of Blackthorn's, tore a huge hole in the _Mad Cat's_ side, and the Jade Falcon MechWarrior now was the one to move back, as Coyle's huge axeblade thunked into the dirt where the _Mad Cat_ had been. "Whew," Blackthorn said. "Thanks, Buffalo One, I—"

A laser flashed out of nowhere and hit the side of the _Enforcer's_ head. It spun her 'Mech around and she nearly fell again. Blackthorn tried to find her attacker, but there was no one there. Another alarm shrilled for her attention, mainly to inform her that the head armor was almost gone and her radio was out. _That's just great,_ she grumped, but she was still operational, and her eyes caught movement out the now-starred windscreen. "Elementals," she said aloud. The Falcons were bringing everything. She watched, stunned for a moment, as one of the battlesuits jumped up, attached itself to her right arm, and began peeling armor back from the autocannon, trying to destroy it.

Blackthorn, seeing no other opponents at the moment—though two nearby fireballs meant that someone had gone down—simply moved the _Enforcer's_ right arm and smashed it into the ground. The Elemental fell off, but still prone, fired two missiles into her chest armor. Murder in her eyes, Blackthorn raised one foot and stomped the Elemental. She thought she could hear its occupant screaming, though that had to be her imagination.

She next spotted a _Ryoken_, but the Clan warrior had spotted her first, and fired before she could. The Clan 'Mech's autocannon chewed away armor and then took her left leg off at the knee. The _Enforcer_ dropped hard to the ground. Blackthorn tensed up for the collision, though it still slammed her hard against the seat. She frantically brought the _Enforcer_ up to a sitting position, only to find that her attacker had disappeared as well.

She had to move: a disabled 'Mech might only be able to crawl, but that was better than just sitting there. Blackthorn was just starting to flip the 'Mech onto its stomach to crawl out, when missiles corkscrewed into her armor, followed by a fusillade of laserfire: four more Elementals had arrived. They quickly swarmed her 'Mech, and Blackthorn, without mobility, knew it was only a matter of time before they cut their way into her cockpit—and she doubted they'd accept a surrender. Cursing, she fired her lasers more for moral effect than anything else, tightened her straps, reached up, and pulled the jerk handles on her ejection seat. Explosive bolts blew the top of the _Enforcer's_ head off, and she blacked out for a moment as the seat fired her a hundred meters into the air. When she came to, the seat had already deployed its parachute, and she floated down. Below her, lasers crisscrossed the air and autocannons roared, and Blackthorn knew that her "escape" had only been temporary. She couldn't see her _Enforcer,_ but she reached up and began steering the chute away from where she thought she had been. Other parachutes were in the air as well.

Blackthorn had a quick look at the battlefield. In the distance, she could see Jade Falcon 'Mechs approaching Eger, which was covered in smoke. In the center, the Sentinels and the 124th Striker Cluster were fighting up and down the line, but she could see that the Sentinels were already being pushed back. The battle, as many did, had become a melee. The fog had mostly burned away, but it was in turn replaced by smoke from burning 'Mechs.

She tucked herself up onto the seat as it descended through the smoke and landed. It fell over, but already Blackthorn was unstrapping. The only weapon she had was a knife, so there was no point in getting that out, especially with Elementals around. The best thing she could do was find some cover. Blackthorn spotted the wreckage of a 'Mech and ran towards it, hoping it was either unoccupied or friendly.

It was Newbury's _Centurion._ The 'Mech's head was a ruin and half its torso was missing, indicating an ammunition explosion. Newbury was still strapped in, hanging halfway out of the remains of the cockpit. She came up to him. "Terry! Terry!" she yelled frantically over the din of battle. "Are you okay?" He was unconcious, and Blackthorn could see a lot of blood. Acting quickly, she cut Newbury away from his straps and lowered him to the ground. He coughed up blood and moaned something unintelligible.

Blackthorn heard something approaching, and dragged Newbury under the wrecked head of the _Centurion_. Newbury continued to cough, so Blackthorn put her hand over his mouth. "Be quiet, Terry. Please be quiet," she whispered, as an Elemental came into view.

* * *

Calla watched from his _Battlemaster_ as the battle line wavered. The 124th Striker Cluster didn't attempt to manuever, simply crashing into Alpha and Beta Battalions head on. The battles along that line were degenerating into lance-on-Star combats.

"Sentinel One, Sentinel Three, enemy 'Mechs, left flank." Habersohn's _Wyvern_ fired a cluster of LRMs in that direction, and Calla saw a _Koshi_ sprinting towards him. He raised the PPC and blasted the light 'Mech even as Habersohn's missiles savaged it. The 'Mech stumbled, fired a few lasers back that Calla dodged, then tried to scamper back. Calla shook his head and unleashed every weapon he had—PPC, four medium lasers, and a flight of SRMs. The _Koshi_ exploded and fell.

Through the smoke stepped a _Masakari._ Its camouflage was immaculate, and it proudly displayed the tactical markings of a Galaxy Commander, though all the other Jade Falcons had painted out their tactical symbology long ago. "Cavell Malthus," Calla smiled wryly. It had to be him, and Cavell being here meant that the former Khan had sought him out. He could tell that the 'Mech had been slightly modified; there were only six missile ports instead of the normal ten, which meant that Cavell had switched out the LRM-10 for a SRM-6. He wanted this battle to be close. As it moved in, the four PPC barrels that made up the _Masakari's_ arms came up. Three fired, but Calla was already moving, carving scars into the _Masakari's_ left shoulder with medium lasers. If Cavell had missed with his PPCs, so did Calla with his SRMs. The two commanders squared off, with the rest of the Galaxy Command Star attacking the flank and being parried by the Sentinel Headquarters Unit.

* * *

The 4th Falcon Talon advanced quickly through the woods before the little hamlet of Eger, Star Colonel Yesukai Shambag wanting to clear the forest as soon as she could. The woods were dense, hampering quick movement, and she feared an ambush in the trees from Sentinel 'Mechs or infantry. She had sent her Trinary Delta under Star Captain Seward Buhallin in first for that reason, though Buhallin had been less than enthusiastic about it. Yet no ambush had occurred, and as they left the treeline, the hamlet of Eger was only a kilometer before them. Buhallin urged his Elementals across the open ground as fast as they could, because this was a killing ground. A thousand meters turned to 800, then 600, and Buhallin began to wonder if the Sentinels had been somehow stupid enough to leave Eger open.

At 500 meters, Arla Bighorn-Vlata gave the order to open fire.

Machine gun and assault rifle scoured the open ground between the woods and Eger, knocking a few Elementals off their feet. Still, Elemental armor was thick, and Buhallin kept his people moving, using their jumpjets to leapfrog across the field. Mortar rounds soon began to crump amongst them, but even this was more of an irritant than a threat. Buhallin now ordered his men into open order, for a direct hit from a mortar could kill an Elemental. He raised the machine gun underslung the claw that made the battlesuit's right hand and opened fire, then fired the small laser in the left. The thick walls of Eger absorbed his fire. "Freebirth," he mouthed, then jumped when the V-shaped viewslit in his armor cracked and starred.

"They have snipers in the church tower," Star Commander Huan informed him, landing next to Buhallin.

"I noticed," Buhallin returned. He watched Huan fire at Sentinel infantry on the rooftops, but the infantry ducked behind cover. "They have dug themselves in, made loopholes in the walls," he told Huan. "We'll have to dig them out from the inside."

"Fantastic!" Huan's voice was laced with sarcasm. "I suppose I volunteer, then." He motioned at his Star to follow him.

"Covering fire!" Buhallin shouted, and the 75 Elementals in the field opened fire, blasting at the walls, roofs, and towers of Eger. In the midst of the firing, Huan's 25 battlearmored infantry leapt high on their jumpjets, aiming to go over the walls and into the midst of the Sentinel infantry. Buhallin watched them go for a second, then jumped again, this time in shock. A web of laserfire suddenly shot from Eger itself, swatting Huan's Star from the sky. A few, including Huan, landed on Eger's roofs, but just as quickly leapt back to the comparative safety of the field. Huan landed hard and fell to a blackened knee near Buhallin. "What in the hell happened?" Buhallin yelled.

"They—they—" Huan got his breath. "The bastards have at least four Ontos heavy tanks in the courtyard of the village! We will never get through that!"

Buhallin cursed. Elementals had learned to fear the Ontos, with its eight medium lasers and battery of long-range missiles. He was up against a veteran, someone who had fought Elementals before and knew how to fight them, and wasn't afraid of the hideous armor. Around him, he saw other Elementals fall. While small arms was of little effectiveness against battlearmor, concentrated fire could bring down his people. He ordered his unit to fall back to the woods, fired a few shots back at the Sentinels, then moved back himself.

"Delta One, why are you not advancing?" Shambag's voice was, as usual, sour.

"Sunrise Actual, Delta One. The defenders of Eger are at least two companies of elite infantry with mortar support and a platoon of heavy tanks. They are dug in and well-fortified. Request either artillery or airstrikes."

"Negative, Delta One. Artillery is reserved for the center battle, and air is currently committed." Shambag was obviously upset about that, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"Request 'Mech support, then."

"Granted. Trinary Charlie and Trinary Bravo, move forward and support Delta." Tyne and Jalak Roshak acknowledged those orders and now nearly thirty 'Mechs began moving forward. Shambag hated to commit two-thirds of her force to take a simple village, but she wanted the Sentinels' infantry out of the way before she launched her planned attack into the Sentinel right flank.

* * *

Arla Bighorn-Vlata climbed into the church tower. "What do you have, Ellis?"

One of her snipers took his eye from his scope and pointed. "They've got 'Mechs forming up behind them, Major. A lot of them."

Arla raised her binoculars. "Hm. Looks like two Trinaries, at least." She ducked behind the bell in the tower, already scored with a laser hit, and pressed a hand to her earpiece. "Coyote Six, Black Six. I've stopped a Trinary of Elementals advancing on my position, but I now have two Trinaries of BattleMechs coming up in support. I need some help."

"Black Six, Coyote. I'm supporting the center at the moment, but I'll send two companies of my small boys. Will that suffice?"

"That will be fine, thanks." She switched frequencies. "Express Six, this is Black Six. I need artillery at preplanned coordinates, strike pattern bravo. Understood? Strike pattern bravo."

"Express Six, roger. When do you want it?"

"Any time you want."

"Roger that, Black Six." There was a pause. "Shot out."

Arla, from her position in the church tower, could see the sparkles of the distant artillery, then heard the express train noise of incoming shells. Where the mortars of her own infantry had made relatively small explosions, the heavy 105 millimeter shells of the Sniper batteries and 155 millimeters of the Long Toms made huge divots in the field, catching the Elementals and Jade Falcon 'Mechs just as they left the woods. An _Uller_ seemed to crumple and collapse under two direct hits, while a _Fenris_ went down missing a leg. Two Elementals simply vanished as a Long Tom shell impacted beneath them. The Elementals triggered their jumpjets and missed the worst of the artillery, but only a few tried to leap over the wall again, once more meeting the lethal laserfire of the Ontoses in the village itself.

The artillery was effective, but Arla could see that the Jade Falcons weren't stupid: they quickly pulled back the 'Mechs to the woods and spread out to avoid the artillery, and one Trinary came out of the woods out of range, to the flank. It was exactly what Calla would have done, Arla mused, watching: bypass Eger, ignore her infantry, which couldn't stop 'Mechs with small arms, and crash into the Sentinel right. She was about to get on the net again to ask for Gamma Battalion to be committed when she saw hovertanks suddenly roar into view to her right, leaving sprays of dust and mud behind them. Arla sighed: it was better than nothing. Hovertanks were light, devilishly fast, but thinly armored and not particularly well-armed. Their job was normally scouting or raiding, and here they could do little but harass the Clan 'Mechs and buy some time for Gamma to come up. Arla turned to check the rear; hopefully Rowley's 'Mechs weren't far behind.

"What the hell are they doing?" Ellis exclaimed. "Look, Major!"

Arla did. "Oh my God," she said in horror.

Arthur Sterling, the commander of Ceta Battalion's 32 hovertanks, wasn't staying on the periphery of the Jade Falcons and harassing them with long-range fire. He was taking his two companies directly into the heart of the 'Mechs. The two sides came together in a cloud of dust.

"So much for that," Ellis groaned. "Crazy, dumb bastards."

"No…wait! There!" Arla pointed, looking through her binoculars. She began laughing, because Sterling was indeed crazy, crazy like a fox. The hovertanks suddenly came out the other side of the dust cloud, their formation now completely ragged, but intact. They split into two groups, and Arla watched in fascination as Sterling came back in. This time, she saw one or two hovertanks slide out of formation and tumble into fireballs, but most once more made it through—and Sterling turned them around for a third run. The Clan Trinary was now hopelessly turned around, unable to get a bead on the speedy hovertanks. The small Savannah Masters, Saladins, Harassers, and J. Edgars were moving so fast their shots mostly missed, but neither could they be hit—and a 'Mech turned its back on even a small tank at its peril. It was chaos in the Clan ranks, and far from merely buying time, Sterling had stopped the Trinary cold. "That son of a bitch," Arla laughed. Sterling had long bragged that his hovertanks could stay even with 'Mechs if given the chance, and now he was proving it.

Still, there was another Trinary to worry about, and Arla knew she needed to quit gawking and get back to work. She could see the first Trinary had reformed in the woods and were poised to make a charge. The artillery fire had slackened. She had to do two things, very fast. "Express Six, Black Six. Switch to Attack Pattern Papa. Repeat, Strike Pattern Papa!"

"Black Six, Express Six. Roger."

Arla leaned over the tower's parapet. "Mercia! Start with the dirty tricks!" she shouted. Mercia, in the courtyard, threw her a thumbs up, and dashed into a command APC set in the middle of the four Ontoses. She hurriedly began pressing buttons.

In the woods, Tyne Roshak had just gotten his 'Mechs together again. To avoid getting blown to pieces by artillery, he would need to rush his 'Mechs across the open field to the walls of Eger, getting close enough to the Sentinels' infantry where they couldn't call in artillery without hitting their own people—grabbing the defenders by the belt, he told his MechWarriors. Just then, however, artillery began hitting the trees. Roshak ducked involuntarily, but the trees were higher than his machines, and would provide some cover. The shells then abruptly began exploding short—into white blossoms of fire.

"White phosphorus!" someone yelled over the open net. Phosphorus would stick to the 'Mechs, burning their way into armor. Alone, it could not destroy a 'Mech, but a burning 'Mech was one that couldn't use its weapons well without running the risk of shutting down, causing its ammo bins to explode, or cooking its pilot alive in the cockpit.

Roshak had barely recovered from that when a tree suddenly just exploded next to him. His windscreen starred and nearly shattered, and alarms warbled, warning him that his _Uller_ had taken damage. The forest itself seemed to be blowing up around him, and with a loud, ringing _ping_ he saw why: the Sentinels had wired the entire woods with claymore mines, set at the level of most 'Mech cockpits. "Pull back! Pull back!" he ordered. It would mean abandoning the Elementals, but it was better than being destroyed himself.

* * *

Abraham Chi-Li looked towards the west as fire licked up from the woods and he heard Tyne Roshak give the order to retreat. His transmissions were interrupted and overlaid by Jalak Roshak, who was screaming at his MechWarriors to stand their ground, go to all-around defense, and quit trying to chase down the hovertanks. Chi-Li chuckled, zooming in with his HUD as a _Puma_ suddenly ran through the now-torn up open ground between the woods and Eger, pursuing a tiny Savannah Master it outweighed seven to one, its PPC shots going wide as the mote-like hovertank zigged and zagged away from the shots and disappeared into what had been a wine orchard. Over it all, Yesukai Shambag was shrilling at her warriors to give her accurate reports.

"Sounds like Yesukai's having some trouble." Benjamin Helmer, Chi-Li's executive officer, was using a secure direct-beam link.

"As we thought she would." Chi-Li's smile remained. He had always said Shambag couldn't find her way in out of the rain without a manual and a six-man search party, and now it was being proven. He opened a channel. "Sunrise Actual, Demon Actual. Do you need some assistance?"

"Demon Actual, neg!" she screamed back. "I am just fine!"

"Good. Then you will not mind if _I_ require some. Sunrise Alpha, Demon Actual. Bring your Trinary right, tie into my left wing, prepare to advance to the center." He waited for Star Captain Fultz Hazen to acknowledge, then cut the link before Shambag could do more than splutter. Spluttering was all she could do, because Cavell Malthus had, despite their differences, made Chi-Li his second-in-command while he took his Galaxy Command Star to the Sentinel left flank to destroy Calla Bighorn-Vlata personally. That would do far more damage to the Sentinels than Cavell being out of communication: the Jade Falcons were more used to fighting in individual Clusters, unlike the Sentinels' more rigid command structure. It also satisfied Chi-Li immensely: he had suspected Shambag would fail in her flanking move, and Cavell Malthus would likely not be able to turn the Sentinel right very easily with a comparative handful of 'Mechs. That left the center where the battle would be won, and with Hazen's Trinary joining Chi-Li's Cluster, he had the reserve he needed for one more push. He had pushed the Sentinels away from the river, and now he would break through completely.

"Demon Actual, Fusilier Alpha Two. Executing mission."

Chi-Li craned his head to look up out of his _Mad Cat_. Through the smoke generated by the battle and the scattered contrails of the fighter pilots' battles above the ground fighting, a solitary _Overlord-_class DropShip roared through the sky, carrying the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers. Before, Chi-Li had thought Cavell was merely ridding the Clan of some excess baggage unwanted after Senefa Malthus' betrayal, but now, he saw the clear, murderous logic of Cavell's plan. The 133rd's timing was perfect: it would land directly behind the Sentinel lines just as he would launch his attack to the center.

"Grand Battery, shift fire to the direct center. Hurricane strike." The _Nagas_ had ceased fire long enough to be reloaded; now Chi-Li wanted them to annilihate the Sentinel center. "Demons from Demon Actual. Prepare to advance on my command."


	9. Die Where You Stand

_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_ _The next phase of the Battle of Grunwald. Gets pretty hip-deep in here now. I couldn't resist a little homage to _Red Dawn_ and _Black Hawk Down _here though._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER: What, only one this time? Get with it, guys!_

_The Reader: Good to hear from you again. Hey, if I can make the bad guys seem sympathetic, I've done my job well._

_MUSIC CORNER: "Panzer Attack" from the _Medal of Honor _soundtrack, "Battle of Devil's Den" from _Gettysburg,_ and "The Bridge at Khazad Dum" from _Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings.

* * *

_Keogh Glen_

_Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth_

_17 January 3052_

Star Colonel Kazumi was feeling uneasy.

Five thousand meters below his DropShip, the battle lines of Grunwald had disappeared underneath a blanket of smoke and dust, churned up by hundreds of BattleMechs and tanks, missile trails and burning machines. Now and then an orange fireball would boil up through the smoke, announcing the death of someone's 'Mech or tank. The smoke seemed to be more towards the north, so he supposed the Jade Falcons were winning. From the radio reports, however, it seemed to be a draw. Both flanking attempts had failed, and the Sentinels' center still looked intact. That meant, Kazumi thought with a smile, that it might be the much-maligned and hated 133rd Falcon Fusiliers who might change the outcome of the battle. There was no fighter opposition, but then again, the DropShip was escorted by the five heaviest fighters Cavell Malthus could assign, while the rest of the Jade Falcon squadrons kept the Sentinels AeroWing at bay. The battle in the sky looked to be a draw as well, but that sat fine with Kazumi. MechWarriors were generally happy with a draw in the air.

"Stand by for landing," the DropShip's captain informed him. "Star Colonel, I want to do a dustoff. Is that all right?"

"Aff. I prefer it." The _Overlord-_class DropShip's heavy guns would give him a better chance in case he was heading into an ambush. "Captain, does the LZ look clear?"

"Aff, Star Colonel." There was a pause. "That seems strange, quiaff? They must see us."

"Perhaps they can do nothing about it, Captain."

"Aff." The captain's voice was none too sure. "Thirty seconds."

Kazumi felt the DropShip right itself, then was pressed into his seat as the craft slowed and flared, then felt the soft thump of the DropShip landing. The doors slid open, and Kazumi charged his _Thor_ forward. Well-defended and well-armored it might be, but the ship was still a sitting duck, and Kazumi wanted to get his Fusiliers off in a hurry. Once the 20 'Mechs of the 133rd had cleared the DropShip, the engines roared and it rose back into the sky on a jet of flame. Kazumi quickly organized his unit into Stars, turned them south, and began running for the Sentinel rear.

"Alpha One, Alpha Eye Three! Enemy 'Mechs, left flank, lance strength!"

"As I thought," Kazumi mused to himself. Calla Bighorn-Vlata was too good a tactician to leave his rear areas completely uncovered. Still, the 133rd would be able to tie down his reserve. "Alpha Eye, refuse our left. Everyone else, continue advance."

"Aff, ovkhan," Star Commander Selin replied. His Star turned off and began firing on 'Mechs in the treeline. Kazumi's onboard computer identified the 'Mechs: _Thorn, Crab, Mongoose, _and _Exterminator._ _That's strange,_ Kazumi thought, _Star League-era 'Mechs? Last report said the Sentinels only had one or two._ His growing suspicion was confirmed a second later, when the _Crab_ ducked out of the forest and fired on Selin's 'Mech. The _Crab_ was painted overall white. "ComStar," Kazumi said aloud.

His finger had just touched the radio button to try and warn Cavell Malthus when PPC bolts lanced across his front and hit two of Selin's 'Mechs from behind. Lina's shout came next: "Alpha One, Alpha Beak! 'Mechs to our right!"

Another lance charged out of the woods to their right: two _Guillotines,_ a _Thug_, and a _Champion_. All four opened fire, aiming for Selin's _Thor._ Autocannon fire shredded his left flank armor, tearing away the SRM-6 and engine shielding. The _Guillotines_ followed the autocannons' track, chopping off the entire left side and touching off the SRM magazine. Another shot from the _Thug_ took off the _Thor's_ right arm and the Clan 'Mech collapsed in a heap. Kazumi's throat constricted when two more lances stepped out in front of him. "Well," he whispered, "here is where it becomes very interesting."

* * *

Danielle Blackthorn held Terrence Newbury close as the Elemental stopped, staring directly at them through its viewport. It raised the laser arm. She buried her face in Newbury's shoulder, not wanting to see her own death coming, sobbing because she was only seventeen and it wasn't fair.

Nothing happened, and after a few seconds, Blackthorn chanced a look up. The Elemental slowly lowered its laser arm. It stepped closer, and Blackthorn swallowed, wondering if it was going to finish her off with its claw. Instead, the Elemental stopped, gave a sort of half bow. "I will not kill defenseless warriors," a male voice said, distorted by the grill-like vocoders below the viewport; Blackthorn wasn't sure if it was talking to her or himself. The suit turned, took a few steps, paused, and said clearly, _"Vaya con Dios."_ Then it was gone into the smoke, leaving Blackthorn and Newbury behind.

* * *

The Sentinel center—Alpha and Beta Battalions—had stopped the first attack. Seeing that the Sentinel Light Infantry and Ceta's tanks were holding Eger and Calla needed no help on the left, Mira Canis-Vlata, as much in de facto command as Abraham Chi-Li was on the opposite side, brought up Gamma Battalion. She heard Wiessler report that he had stopped the Clan drop in the Sentinels' rear, but now the Sentinels had no reserves. She ordered her people to spread out as twenty incoming Arrow IV missiles arced towards them, but even so, the missiles found plenty of targets. Seconds later, the 124th's mass attack caught the Sentinels dispersed and out of position, and presently men and women began to die.

Lexi Rowley, who had led Gamma Battalion in and was still frantically trying to tie in Beta's line with Richard Cannon's tanks near Eger, never knew what killed her. A Clan PPC found a chink in her _Cyclops'_ armor that an exhausted tech had missed, and lanced into the LRM magazine. The resulting chain-reaction explosion left little to be salvaged and nothing to be buried. Likewise, Danielle Blackthorn's roommate from Sanglamore, Echo Resaca, also died quickly and without knowledge of her own demise when a _Ryoken's_ Autocannon/20 blew her _Warhammer's_ head apart. The 'Mech, untouched anywhere else, sagged and crashed to the ground.

Allen Coyle, who had served in the Eridani Light Horse and the 21st Centauri Lancers before coming to the Sentinels, had felled two _Lokis_ with his _Axeman_, using first his titanic AC/20 and finishing off his hapless opponents with the giant axe. A third _Loki_ took a leg off the _Axeman_, and Coyle fell. His friend, Sicard Stykkis—Mimi Stykkis' cousin—ran forward and covered Coyle's now-crawling 'Mech with flights of missiles from his _Catapult._ Neither noticed a Star of 4th Falcon Talon light 'Mechs materialize out of the smoke. Both were overrun and killed.

Steven Jaggar, one of the last of the original Sentinels, took a hit that shattered his _Warhammer's_ left leg. Bracing himself against a tree, he stood alone until his son Kellivar marched his own _Warhammer_ up to stand beside him. Father and son held their position for a precious five minutes until Kellivar went down. Seconds later, his father joined him.

Richard Cannon, Ceta Battalion's commander, died an ignominious death. His old Von Luckner tank, worn out and missing drive wheels, threw a track in the mud near Eger. Elementals closed in, pried open the hatches, and machine-gunned the crew inside.

Clanfolk also died. Star Captain Dreeson Pryde thought he saw daylight, a clear road into the Sentinel rear and rushed his _Thor_ forward, outdistancing his Starmates. He ran into the middle of Rowley's Command Lance. Seeing himself surrounded, he held his ground valiantly before the _Thor's_ legs were blown off. He was then kicked and punched to death by Rowley's vengeful lance. Another of Chi-Li's Trinary commanders, Jindan Yont, broke through as well, but found himself staring down the long barrel of a Gauss Rifle on a Sentinel _Banshee_, which decapitated his 'Mech a split-second later_._

Fultz Hazen got too close to Eger, trying to suppress the defenders long enough for the Elementals to get into the village. A SLI trooper crawled onto the wall, leapt onto his _Black Hawk's_ back, and set a satchel charge against the cockpit canopy. The detonation shattered the canopy and stunned Hazen, and the trooper tossed in a grenade to finish the job.

The Sentinel defense began to fray and come apart under the Jade Falcon onslaught, and the regiment itself began to disintegrate. Mira saw it happening; she could even sense it. She slapped down a switch on her radio panel for a broadbeam broadcast. "All Alpha, Beta, and Gamma elements from Highlander Actual! Fall back, repeat, _fall back!"_ She fired a PPC at a _Fenris_ and missed. Another Jade Falcon 'Mech, a _Vulture,_ came at her from the side. She fired her battery of medium lasers at him, cutting jagged rents in the slab-sided, skinny torso of the 'Mech. The _Vulture_ answered with two Gauss Rifles. One shell hit an already damaged leg and blew it off at the knee.

Mira came down hard on her right side, but rolled with the fall as best an 85-ton _Battlemaster_ could. She pressed down on every fire button she had and pulled the trigger. Heat washed through the cockpit, but her shots were effective, vaporizing the remaining armor the _Vulture_ had on the right torso. The Clan 'Mech staggered, one Gauss shot plowing into the mud, the other carrying away Mira's PPC. Nonetheless, the Jade Falcon began walking back, when suddenly it was hit again, toppled over, and lay unmoving.

Gina Carabinera's _Centurion_ came into Mira's view and helped Mira's _Battlemaster_ up. "You okay, Mira?" Carabinera asked.

"I'll live," Mira replied.

"Me too…I just don't know how much longer."

* * *

Calla Bighorn-Vlata fought to keep his _Battlemaster_ upright as Cavell Malthus slashed more armor from the 'Mech's arms and legs. He spaced the 'Mech's feet apart to stay up, just in time for missiles to corkscrew in and blast armor from the _Battlemaster's_ chest.

He pivoted the 'Mech around. The _Battlemaster_ was still deadly, and Calla proved it. His PPC blasted lightning at the _Masakari_, following it with lasers and SRMs. The PPC bolt shattered armor from the right-arm PPCs of the Clan machine, while the lasers and missiles pounded the right torso. It had caught Cavell by surprise: the _Masakari_ staggered and almost went down.

_Got him!_ Calla thought. He sprinted forward and raised the hatchet that made his _Battlemaster_ unique, firing the lasers and SRMs again. Armor boiled from the legs while the missiles pounded the _Masakari_ from cloven hoof to canopy. Calla buried the hatchet into Cavell's right side. The damage sent the Clansman stumbling backwards, heat steaming from overworked heat sinks. He fired anyway, one PPC bolt and his own missile spread going wide, but another PPC shearing off most of the _Battlemaster's_ right fist. Calla locked the PPC in the hand's remaining fingers and kept moving forward. "Oh no, fucker. Not this time."

Calla fired again, but the PPC's precarious grip slipped and the bolt went uselessly into the ground. Once more, the medium lasers did most of the damage, fusing the right arm's shoulder assembly.

Cavell gritted his teeth and fired back, ignoring the heat that was threatening to overwhelm him. One PPC shattered the _Battlemaster's_ left knee and another blew the SRM launcher to bits, but it didn't throw off Calla's aim. The hatchet fell again.

* * *

"Move!" Abraham Chi-Li shouted at his Cluster. A full Star of 'Mechs was down just in the last attack alone, but the Sentinels were in disarray and falling back. Chi-Li, however, with the knowledge of a veteran, knew that the Sentinels were not yet broken. He had yet to achieve a breakthrough. He had hoped to find the 133rd Fusiliers' already on the ridgeline, but there were no Clan 'Mechs to be seen, and a quick radio transmission to the Fusiliers' DropShip confirmed his suspicion: the Fusiliers had been cut off and were fighting for their lives with unknown 'Mechs. That satisfied Chi-Li: the 124th Striker would do win the battle by themselves.

He spotted movement to the right, twisted his _Mad Cat_, and opened fire. His first PPC shot went wide, but the second found its target: a Sentinel Rommel tank, which had gotten separated and lost. The tank's turret was blown bodily into the air.

Chi-Li spotted several Sentinel _Archers, Crusaders, _and _Catapults_, which disappeared behind a bank of smoke as missiles corkscrewed towards him. They landed short, and he saw two or three small objects bounce into the air. "Demons, halt! Dress line!" he ordered. The Sentinels still had some tricks left, it seemed: the little objects could only be Thunder missile-delivered mines. They could not stop the Jade Falcons, but they could slow them down. Staring at the ridgeline, there could be something else waiting on the reverse slope. Chi-Li reined in his Cluster and organized them, wanting to make the final assault a deliberate one.

Yesukai Shambag, on the other hand, had finally gotten her 4th Talons under control and realized that the hovertanks, while a threat, could be ignored, and pulled back Jalak Roshak from his futile attempts to break into Eger. "Bypass the town!" she ordered angrily. "General attack!" That order turned the Talons loose, and those that could break free of the hovertanks hurtled past Eger, ignoring the rifle and machine gun fire that did little but flake off paint. The sudden attack caught the Sentinels by surprise, and nearly two lances were overrun before the Talons reached the ridgeline, only to find that Chi-Li had been entirely correct: there _was_ a surprise over the hill.

David d'Argentan had heard Mira's order and seen Lexi Rowley go down. He was the senior surviving officer on the right flank, with Arla Bighorn-Vlata out of communication in the village. He had ceased his supporting fire and arrayed his ten artillery pieces behind the ridge and waited. A _Fenris_ rolled over the top and was annilihated by three Long Tom hits. The next four Clan 'Mechs fared better, but still reeled back from the ridge with heavy damage. Rowley's second-in-command, Michael Malvin, got Gamma turned to the right, took down a _Vulture_ and a _Loki_ with his _Atlas_, and the right was secure. Catherine Houndlikov, her _Marauder_ missing an arm and limping along, rallied the rest of the Sentinels, and stared down the hill as the 124th Striker organized itself and the 4th Talon did the same. Mira hobbled up beside her. "Looks like it's last stand time," she radioed Houndlikov. "We retreat now, and they'll roll over us. Think we should surrender?"

"You think they'd accept it?" Houndlikov radioed back. "I kinda friggin' doubt it."

"Yeah." Mira noted that the _Nagas_ had ceased firing and were undoubtedly reloading. "Come on," she said to the Clanfolk below her. "Get it over with."

* * *

Kazumi had joked with some of his comrades over ComStar when they had first come to the Inner Sphere, on the order's insistence on dressing in what appeared to be bathrobes and putting hoods on even their MechWarrior gear. When he had heard that ComStar held Terra, he didn't anticipated robed and hooded warriors would be able to hold for long.

He wasn't joking now, and the "hoods," as the Jade Falcons derisively called them, were fighting like tigers. He hit a _Crockett_ just below the cockpit and the ComStar 'Mech fell backwards, indicating he had either knocked the MechWarrior unconscious or killed him. Kazumi felt no remorse: the _Crockett_ had blown an _Uller_ into scrap seconds earlier. He counted eight ComStar 'Mechs down now, but five of his twenty were wrecks as well, and the others weren't in much better shape: Lina's _Loki_ was next to him, minus its left arm.

"Enough of this!" Kazumi snarled. "Fusiliers, reorient to the southeast and break out! Alpha Shield Two, make us a hole!" MechWarrior Toby, in his scarred _Daishi_, began advancing in that direction, sidestepping Star Commander Kidon, whose _Gladiator_ had gone down under a fusillade from an entire ComStar lance. Kazumi organized the rest of the 133rd into a loose crescent, keeping the tenacious ComGuards back.

"Thomas!" Edward Wiessler yelled. "Shift left and let the _Daishi_ through! Hit their flank—" His words died in his throat when he saw Adept Charles Thomas and his _Guillotine_ go up in a fireball. "Damn!" Wiessler stomped the pedals and his _Hussar_ sprinted forward. Thomas' Strike Lance was the heaviest part of his force, but also the most inexperienced. Already it wavered, unsure whether to just move aside, attack, or be routed. If he could reach them, he could put them where they needed to be.

Lina spotted the _Hussar_ dashing by at a hundred and fifty kilometers an hour. It was among the fastest 'Mechs ever built by the old Star League, but that speed came at the price of paper-thin armor. She led the light 'Mech with her remaining PPC and fired. Wiessler ran right into the bolt. It chopped the right leg off, sending the _Hussar_ careening down the road in a spray of sparks. The other leg sheared off and the _Hussar_ crumpled to a stop.

Inside, Wiessler shook his head, trying to hold onto consciousness. His cockpit lights had gone out and only a few of the panels were still intact. He tried to see through the starred windscreen and shrank back when a _Thor_ stomped by only meters away. Wiping the sweat and blood from his lacerated face, Wiessler smiled. The _Thor_ was limping noticeably, its left knee a blackened mess. The Clan warrior had made the mistake of thinking he was dead. Wiessler disabused him of the notion, aiming his sole weapon—a large laser—and fired. The ruby beam sliced straight through the ferroaluminum bone and the _Thor_, carrying a surprised Kazumi, crashed to the ground.

Kazumi cursed and tried to brace up with an arm, to turn and blow the _Hussar_ to hell, as he was vociferously promising himself. He felt his 'Mech being dragged. Lina had hooked her remaining arm underneath one of his and was dragging him.

"Leave me, Lina!" he ordered. "I will only slow you down!"

"Neg!" she screamed back. "Fusiliers leave no one behind!"

* * *

Chi-Li had finally gotten his unit in the position he wanted, and used flights of LRMs to methodically detonate the mines in his path. Normally, artillery missiles were best for that, but the _Naga_ Grand Battery was reloading a second time, and he wanted them to support his advance.

"Stay together, Demons," he warned his Cluster. "The Sentinels are beaten, but I want no one breaking formation! We all go in together, quiaff? One good charge should carry the Sentinel line. Stand by for my order!" He couldn't resist raising his _Mad Cat's_ right arm theatrically, to drop it in the old way when a commander ordered an attack forward. "Star Captain Bannock!" he radioed the _Naga_ commander. "Target grid square 54-50 and fire, hurricane strike!"

There was a pause instead of the instant acknowledgement Chi-Li had anticipated. He was about to repeat his order when a strangled scream blasted across all Jade Falcon channels:

"_ENEMY 'MECHS TO OUR REAR!"_


	10. The Balance of a Sword Blade

_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_ _Shorter chapter this time. I'll post a new one very soon, as the story is actually finished now. This just seemed to have a good breaking point here._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER: _

_Mosin: Well, I've had about a month-long window to finish the story before school starts up again, so this was my big chance. Didn't want you to have to wait until May to finish reading it. Anyway, glad you like it so far. The characters I've mentioned for the most part have shown up in the Snowbird stories here and there, at least with the Sentinels. I didn't feel it would be fair to the Jade Falcons by not talking about them. After all, generally speaking, in combat both sides have guts._

_Reader: I think you bring up some good points (including Sheila committing essentially murder, which she has to live with, but it proves that even good characters occasionally do evil things—I didn't want her to be some perfect Mary Sue). I kinda like it that you liked Cavell Malthus and Kazumi more than the main characters. Cavell Malthus is interesting to write, kind of like writing World War II from Manstein or even Sepp Dietrich's point of view. Cavell really had no problem with Athena Henderson burning down and killing the inhabitants of Port Royal in _Snowbird Chained;_ what angered him was that she didn't realize it would only stiffen Inner Sphere resistance. The actual casualties meant nothing. Kazumi is a "good" Clansman, and that's how I write him, but it should be remembered that, while killing civilians and prisoners he finds abhorrent, he still believes very firmly in the Clan cause. Most importantly, though, he cares about his people._

_Panzerfaust: I'd like to read your story when you're done…now that I've finished mine, I should have some more time. (I'm so far behind on Kat's and Rogue's stories that I don't know where to begin.) Anyhow, I'm hoping that the Clans don't come off as morons. They shouldn't be. (Yesukai Shambag is an exception, but she and Chi-Li are pulled directly from the _Jade Falcon Sourcebook,_ and it is mentioned that Shambag is incompetent and Chi-Li doesn't take prisoners because of what happened on Twycross.) As for Chi-Li not having anything behind him—actually, that's Cavell Malthus' job to worry about that, and Cavell didn't think the Sentinels had anything left to drop behind him. Therefore, there was no reason to watch the rear and he himself didn't have the units to spare. Call it hubris, which the Clans have bucketloads of…_

_Jayson: Well, I can't have the Jade Falcons win the war. One, it's not Battletech canon, and two, I don't want to write any more prison stories, or funerals. As for the 133__rd__ Falcon Fusiliers—yeah, they're just a hard-luck unit._

_Texray: Don't wet yourself, dude! Hopefully only the funny parts should make you do that!_

_MUSIC CORNER: I've been waiting about five years to use this song: "Nothin's Gonna Stand in Our Way" by Spectre General from the old _Transformers the Movie _soundtrack. "Titan Spirit" from the _Remember the Titans_ soundtrack is also good._

* * *

_Grunwald Plain_

_Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth_

_17 January 3052_

The Snowbirds had been sighted, but only in glances: the only thing behind the Clans were techs, wounded Elementals, and crippled 'Mechs that had been pulled out of the main line. All they had seen coming out of the forest were two _Ryoken_ and two huge 100-tonners that didn't match anything they had seen before, and so it was assumed they were part of the 94th Striker Cluster. The assumption was a sound one: there had been nothing spotted behind them, the Sentinels were all to the front, and the only other Inner Sphere unit onplanet was the Gray Death Legion, and it was far away to the east. The techs shrugged and figured that someone in high command knew what was going on, and went back to work. It wasn't until Inner Sphere designs surged out of the treeline that they realized something was wrong, and by then it was too late. Sheila spotted the battered 'Mechs surrounded by techs, saw that they were powered down, and told the Snowbirds to ignore them.

The _Naga_ Grand Battery was next, and they were caught in the midst of reloading. The _Nagas_ did have light secondary weapons, and so the Snowbirds fell on them first. Artillery 'Mechs simply weren't built for pitched battle, and the Grand Battery was overrun in less than two minutes. Sheila, seeing the entire Clan host directly in front of her, knew the only way the Snowbirds would win this battle was to hit the Jade Falcons as hard and quickly as they could, before they recovered from the shock of having a battalion suddenly appear behind them. "Snowbirds!" she broadcast, already running her _Shruiken_ to full speed, "Don't stop! Attack!" She began firing, more for moral effect than anything else; she was out of range. The Snowbirds poured over the ridge where the _Nagas_ had been, as a wild and screaming horde.

* * *

Mira Canis-Vlata could see that the Jade Falcons were confused. Whoever had broadcast on the Clan open channel hadn't bothered to identify himself, and as a result, every Clan Star was looking over their collective shoulders, wondering where the threat was. She could see hesitation spread throughout the Jade Falcons, and knew the Sentinels had somehow regained the initiative—but only for a moment.

A moment was all she needed.

"Sentinels! Sentinels!" she shouted. "_Charge! Charge!"_

The Sentinels hesitated as well—they were gathering for a last stand one moment, then ordered to charge—but feeling giddy with resignation in any case and with nothing to lose, the battered regiment roared forward, charging downhill at the Clanfolk. The light 'Mechs reached the Jade Falcon line first, and most were cut down, but being charged from both directions caused hesitation to change to fear. The Snowbirds crashed into the 124th Striker's rear, the rest of the Sentinels from the front, and the result was a massive melee that caused fear to become panic.

* * *

Abraham Chi-Li slammed a hand down on the arm of his ejection seat in frustration. Everything was suddenly going completely wrong. He shouted orders into the radio, but it seemed like no one was listening. When the two Snowbird _Ryokens_ began opening fire, it caused further confusion, and Falcon warriors either hesitated for a fatal moment, trying to see if the person who was shooting wore Jade Falcon sigils or Sentinel ones, or opened fire without hesitation, occasionally firing at each other.

"Freebirth!" he cursed. "Form on me, Demons! Form on _me!"_ He began waving the _Mad Cat's_ arms, trying to salvage the situation. A few of his warriors began obeying him, but the movement also attracted Max's eyes. He stopped his _Battlemaster_ halfway down the hill, aimed the PPC carefully, and put a shot into the Clan 'Mech's leg. Chi-Li, caught by surprise, went down. He struggled upwards, only to take another hit from a _Phoenix Hawk_ that landed next to him. Chi-Li shrugged off the medium lasers, turned, and fired both PPCs. The blue beams struck first in the upper chest then sliced off the head. No sooner had he finished the _Phoenix Hawk_ off than a _Wolverine_ attacked him next. He dodged missile and PPC fire, then blasted the _Wolverine_ to the ground, though he hadn't destroyed it. The _Mad Cat_ rocked as it took heavy hits from yet another quarter, then it too fell when something struck the 'Mech from behind. Chi-Li twisted over to see a _Zeus_ standing over him, raising the LRM hand that ended in a mace to strike again. He blew off the arm, but now there was a _Battlemaster_, and Chi-Li realized he had been surrounded. With most of his armor gone and a hip actuator out, there was no question of being able to break out.

"Clan warrior," his radio crackled. "There's no way out of here. Surrender now."

Chi-Li hung his head and began to laugh softly. So close. They had been so close. He saw the Snowbirds crest emblazoned on the _Battlemaster's_ chest. "Sentinel warrior. I am Star Colonel Abraham Chi-Li. What is your name?"

"Lance Commander Max Canis-Vlata."

"I will not surrender, Lance Commander. The Demons die but do not surrender."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Chi-Li got his _Mad Cat_ back to his feet, but as soon as he did, Max ordered his ersatz lance to open fire. Chi-Li died shooting.

* * *

Cavell Malthus heard the shout but ignored it. His duel with Calla Bighorn-Vlata was nearly at its end. His right arm was gone and most of his torso armor with it, but Calla's _Battlemaster_ didn't look much better. Its right arm dangled uselessly by its myomers, and Calla was down to just his four medium lasers—and the hatchet. Cavell had barely avoided a blow that would have decapitated him.

Suddenly a laser blast came from Cavell's left, tearing a rent in his leg. He turned to face the new threat and spotted a _Wyvern,_ which had lost an arm as well and a great deal of armor, but the silver dragon of the Sentinels' Headquarters Unit still shone. Cavell licked dry lips. Calla was no Clansman: if the _Wyvern_ wanted to join in, he was as good as dead.

"Need some help, Commander?" James Habersohn asked.

"Sure, hop in," Calla puffed out. His younger self might have waved Habersohn off for the pride of taking down Cavell Malthus himself, but Calla was exhausted, his 'Mech badly damaged. It had easily been the toughest fight of his thirty year career.

Cavell took a few paces back to open the range, unsure of whether to try and destroy the _Wyvern_ and then finish off Calla, or try and get Calla first. The _Wyvern_ was much lighter, but it still looked to have most of its weapons, and its jumpjets ensured that the warrior would get behind him if he continued to face off with Calla.

Abruptly, the decision was made for him. A silver Gauss bullet streaked from nowhere, hitting the _Wyvern_ at the base of the 'Mech's humanlike head. The ball punched through the cockpit and buried itself in the _Battlemaster's_ breast, spent. Blood and gore sprayed across the windscreen, and Calla, stunned at the sudden death of Habersohn, froze for a precious second. Cavell brought up his remaining PPCs and fired directly into the _Battlemaster's_ chest. The armor there was already mostly gone, and the bolts pierced first the engine shielding and then the engine itself. The resulting fireball blew the _Battlemaster_ in half, sending its upper torso and cockpit flying into a copse of woods, while the legs remained upright, as if unsure whether or not to fall as well, before finally toppling over.

Cavell had always thought of this moment, and figured he would shout a keening Jade Falcon cry of triumph. Instead, spent, he merely sighed. "Goodbye, Calla Bighorn-Vlata," he said with genuine sadness. He supposed that Calla might have survived the destruction of his 'Mech, but now he could see the panic in his Galaxy. He had to rally it. He headed into the battle, only to be hit by yet another PPC shot that fused the _Masakari's_ left leg. He swung his torso left, and spotted his new assailiant: the profile was unmistakable. Stepping over a fallen _Fenris_, Habersohn's killer, was a blue and black _Shruiken._ "Calla's daughter," Cavell mused.

Both 'Mechs stood still a moment, then both Cavell and Sheila brought up their PPC arms at the same time. Cavell was a tad faster, and he already knew where he wanted his shots: the _Shruiken_ had taken a nasty hit to the right leg, and that was where he hit with both shots. The leg was sheared off above its knee, and the _Shruiken_'s shots went wide. It toppled over, landing and trapping the right arm beneath its weight. Cavell didn't give Sheila a chance to stand, but drew back the _Masakari's_ good leg and delivered a stunning kick to the torso. He had been aiming for the head, but Sheila had just managed to bring up the left arm just in time. The blow still caused the _Shruiken_ to rock back hard. One of the seat straps snapped and sent Sheila into the armored side of her cockpit. The neurohelmet saved her skull from being fractured, but it still dazed her.

She saw the _Masakari_ step forward, the right arm PPCs swiveling into place and aimed directly at her head. She grabbed at the left arm control stick: she had one salvo of inferno stars left.

There was an explosion, and the _Masakari_ shuddered. Then, slowly, it toppled forward, and Sheila saw the burning, jagged hole in the side of the cockpit.

Sheila finally got herself situated back in her seat, and spoke into her radio. "Whoever that was that just killed the _Masakari_ standing over me, thank you so very much."

"You are welcome," said Senefa Malthus' voice.

Sheila squinted. Across the river, just below the ridge, was a battered _Loki._

* * *

Someone had once said that battles were decided by no more than the width of a sword blade. This was one of them, Star Colonel Kazumi sighed. Less than ten minutes ago, the Sentinels had been gathering for a last stand. Now it was the Jade Falcons who were gathering for one, in the thick woods south of Eger.

The faithful Lina had dragged Kazumi five kilometers to the forest, harried by ComStar 'Mechs the entire way. Only half the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers had made it. With Cavell Malthus and Yesukai Shambag missing, presumed dead, and Abraham Chi-Li definitely slain, that made Kazumi the senior surviving officer. He was too tired to laugh at the irony: he, the old warrior that everyone judged to be washed-up, fit for nothing but training duties, now commanded the better part of a Galaxy. Many Jade Falcon warriors lay dead on the Grunwald Plain, but he still had a little more than a Cluster left. He stole a glance at the sky. It was beginning to darken. If the Falcons could hold until darkness, he had a chance to withdraw to the south.

"They are not firing, ovkhan," Lina reported. "They must be preparing a rush, quiaff?" The Sentinels had been seen getting their 'Mechs together, just out of effective range, in a crescent that would close around the Falcons like a bear hug.

"Aff, more than likely." Kazumi just wanted to sleep. He was always amazed how sitting and piloting a 70-ton BattleMech could be so exhausting, but it was. He almost advised Lina to surrender if she wished, but knew she would refuse. So would the other Falcons around him. The remnants of the 124th Striker and 4th Talon might die here, but they would wreck the Sentinels and anyone else in the process.

"Alpha Beak Two to Fusilier Actual." Kazumi didn't recognize the voice. "Can you hear me, sir?"

"Aff. What do you have?"

"A Sentinel 'Mech has come up with a white flag, ovkhan. They wish to discuss a truce."

"Never!" Lina cut in. "Tell them to go to hell—"

"Clear the channel, Star Captain." Kazumi thought a moment, then gave his reply. "Very well, Beak Two. Inform them I will arrive shortly. Star Captain Lovonski, you are in command if I do not return in ten minutes." Abraka Lovonski was the senior survivor of the 124th Striker. "Lina, come with me."

He unstrapped and opened the hatch. Fresh, if smoky and bitter-tasting air, flowed into the cockpit. Kazumi took a breath, smiled despite himself, and climbed down off his crippled _Thor_. Lina met him on the muddy ground. "Ovkhan, we cannot surrender!" she exclaimed.

"I have no intention of doing so," Kazumi assured her. "We need time, Lina. I have already contacted Kristen Redmond, and she is breaking contact with the Gray Death Legion and is on her way." He didn't feel like telling Lina that Redmond's Cluster had also been battered in five days of running battles with the Legion. Still, the 94th Striker was in better condition than everyone else. "Oh, and Lina…" he said on sudden impulse, "when we are alone, you may call me Kazumi."

"Yes, sir."

Kazumi shook his head and led her through the forest. Every one of the Jade Falcons' surviving 'Mechs had been hit; some, like Kazumi's, had been dragged out of the battle. A skirmish line of Elementals watched them as they walked through. They too had been hit hard, and were angry—not just at losing the battle, but at being misused against Eger. Seward Buhallin and fifteen of his troops had stripped off their armor and slipped into Eger through an unguarded drainage tunnel, but had not been heard from since.

He saw the _Wasp_ and walked in that direction, stopping about halfway as three officers walked towards him. All three were wearing MechWarrior garb, and all three were wearing bandages of one type or another. They were as filthy and tired as Kazumi knew he himself must look. Two of the three Inner Sphere warriors were women; the third had a cowl on his uniform, and Kazumi knew this must be the ComStar commander. "I am Star Colonel Kazumi, 133rd Falcon Fusiliers," he said as they stopped two paces in front of him. "This is my aide, Star Captain Lina. Do you wish to discuss _batchall_ for the coming battle?" He abruptly recognized Sheila Arla-Vlata as one of the women.

It was the older one who spoke. "I'm Mira Canis-Vlata, acting commander, Sentinels Regiment. This is Sheila Arla-Vlata, commanding Snowbirds, and Demi-Precentor Edward Wiessler, ComGuards. We're here to grant you…" her voice trailed off, and she looked to Sheila. "What's the word again?"

"_Hegira,_" Sheila said. At Mira's nod, she continued. "Star Colonel, we're both in horrible shape. Neither of us can win this battle, but we can both lose."

"I agree," Kazumi replied. "What are your terms? You must realize that my orders are to take Sudeten. I am not authorized to leave the planet."

"We know," Mira spoke. "We offer a week's time. Enough time to police up our wounded and dead, salvage what we can, and evacuate what citizens of Sudeten that want to leave."

Kazumi considered. It was more than he had a right to expect. "You would give up Sudeten?"

"Our orders were never to hold it," Mira answered.

"Then why fight so hard?"

"Because, one day soon, our orders _will_ be to hold." Mira motioned at the battlefield. "We've killed plenty of your warriors here today. You've killed plenty of ours. But this is _our_ home, Clansman. We will replace our losses. And when that day comes, there will be more of us than you can possibly kill. Time is on _our_ side, Clansman. Not yours." Kazumi could see the raw hatred in her eyes, and knew at that moment, for certain, that the Clans would never conquer the Inner Sphere.

"Today is not that day," Kazumi finally said. "I accept your terms, with one caveat: two weeks. I believe both of us will need two weeks. Is that satisfactory?"

Sheila looked to Mira, who nodded. "Bargained well and done, Star Colonel."

"Aff. I am glad that is over." Kazumi blew out a breath, then put out a hand. "Precentor, may I shake your hand? You are the finest opponent I have ever fought against—and I have fought against this one, here." He pointed at Sheila.

Wiessler hesitated, then took the hand. "I have prisoners, Star Colonel. Some of your people. I'll return them as soon as possible."

"Of course." Kazumi checked his watch. "I will return and let my people know what has happened. We will retreat to the southern ridgeline, then send out small parties to police our dead and wounded."

"Sounds reasonable," Sheila replied. "One more thing, Star Colonel…I want to inform you that ilKhan Cavell Malthus was killed about twenty minutes ago. I'm afraid there's not much left to bury."

Kazumi nodded sadly. "I see. He fell in battle?"

"Yes."

"I see," he repeated. "Well, he would have liked it that way, quiaff? He was no longer an ilKhan, merely a Galaxy Commander. Probably best this way." Kazumi sighed. "By the way, Commander Arla-Vlata, is Senefa Malthus still alive? I would like to say hello to her, perhaps."

"She is. I think that's enough for today, Star Colonel." She could see that Mira would very much like to kill Kazumi, truce or no truce. "See you around."

"Aff. Good luck to you." He raised a hand, then he and Lina walked back towards the forest.

Sheila watched them go a minute, then followed Mira and Wiessler. "Regretting this, Mira?" Sheila asked quietly.

Mira paused, then shook her head. "No. It had to be done. I just wish we could…finish it. Today. I want blood."

"I think you got it," Wiessler replied, detouring around the crushed remains of an Elemental.

Mira ignored him and turned to Sheila. "It's good to see you. We'll talk later." She couldn't let go, not yet. She would have to tell her son that his father was dead, and Mira knew that if she did that, she wouldn't be able to stop crying. "Go see if you can find your mother and your father. I'll organize the Sentinels."

"I should see to my company…what's left of it," Wiessler said. "I imagine the ComGuards will probably cashier me, if the Primus doesn't have me shot." His mouth quirked into a smile. "If the Sentinels are hiring, I might need a job."

"It's yours if you want it." Sheila smiled back. "Actually, I think the Precentor Martial's going to pin a medal on you."

"Ha. I'd laugh if it didn't hurt so much." Wiessler looked around. "Commander…how many engagements have you fought?"

Sheila thought a moment. There had been so many. "I don't know…ten? Fifteen? Hard to say."

"Was it always like this?"

"Like what?"

"I feel terrible. Like I'm going to be sick. During the battle, there was no time, but now…" He stared around the battlefield. "I…don't know if what I did was right at all."

"This was your first battle?" Sheila asked, astounded. The ComGuards had fought unbeliveably hard. Already, she had heard that Wiessler had continued to battle from the wreck of his _Hussar_, even with both legs and arms gone.

"I couldn't stand this butcher's yard more than once." He kicked a rock down the slope. "I imagine I'm going to have to, though."

Sheila put a hand on his shoulder. "Precentor…you did well today. Very well."

"Yes, I suppose we did." He took a deep breath. "Well…like I said, I should look to my company." Wiessler began to walk away.

"Precentor?" He turned at her voice. "Peace of Blake go with you, Precentor." He smiled at that.


	11. Born in Battle

_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_ _That's it on battle scenes from here on out; the Snowbirds' war is over. Of course, the story's not _quite_ over yet._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER: _

_Rogue (the only one to review this time; what's up with that?): The body count rises a bit in this chapter too. Thanks for the compliments as always. As far as other stories from me, well, you never know, but if I write anymore Snowbird stories, they'll be one-shots. After writing some pretty bleak stories, I'd like to get back into writing silly fanfics…I still have an _Inu-Yasha_ story that is begging for some attention._

_MUSIC CORNER: "And Winter Came" by Enya is good, as well as the End Titles from _Patton,_ and finally "No Sacrifice, No Victory" from _Transformers.

* * *

_Grunwald Plain_

_Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth_

_17 January 3052_

"MechWarrior. Hey, wake up."

Danielle Blackthorn opened her eyes, rubbed them, and blinked. She couldn't see who it was, but the sun haloed the figure. "Are you an angel?" she croaked through dry lips.

The person sniffed a laugh. "That's something I've never been called." She bent over, and Blackthorn saw that it was an older woman, a MechWarrior. Her nametape read _Rhialla._ "Are you all right, girl?"

Blackthorn blearily sat up. "I think so."

"Good. Hey, you, wake up—" Marion abruptly saw the blood on Terrence Newbury's body. Blackthorn had fallen asleep across it. "Shit." She turned and yelled, "Medic! Get over here!"

A medic from the Sentinels Light Infantry hurried over, hopeful. There had not been many wounded. He went over Newbury, felt for a pulse, then shook his head at Rhialla. Someone else yelled for a medic, and he put a hand on her shoulder for a moment, then dashed off.

"He's dead?" Blackthorn said in a small voice. Marion said nothing, but arranged Newbury's body, straightening out the legs and putting both arms over the chest. "Oh God…he's dead. He's dead. I tried to save…too much…I fell asleep…oh my God, he's dead."

Marion reached out and drew her into an embrace as Danielle Blackthorn cried helplessly into her shoulder.

* * *

Sheila found her father first. Salvage crews had found the upper half of the _Battlemaster_ and had cut him out of it. Gently, they lowered him out and laid him on a stretcher. Sheila rushed forward. "Dad? Daddy?"

Calla reached up and touched her face. "Hey, squirt."

Sheila gripped his hand. "Sorry I was late."

"Bullshit. You were right on time." He bit his lip. "_Damn,_ this hurts. How bad is it, Doc?"

"Well, it's not good. Don't look at it," Doc Rabbit cautioned him. Sheila recognized the doctor now; his face was covered in dirt and his coveralls stained with blood. "Two broken legs, Calla, and that right arm doesn't look good. I wouldn't be surprised if you had some cracked ribs, too. All that aside, you're lucky to be alive. Not too many folks survive an engine explosion."

"Getting too old for this shit," Calla groaned. "Where's Arla?"

"Right here!" Arla Bighorn-Vlata picked her way through the wreckage and knelt at her husband's side. "You old…look at you, Calla!"

"Doc told me not to."

She leaned back on his haunches. "We're getting too old for this shit." Sheila noticed that her mother was also covered in blood, and was bleeding herself from several scratches. She had dropped her naginata, which was drenched in red.

Calla noticed it too, even as he winced from Rabbit putting in an IV. "You okay, baby?"

"I'm all right. Just some scratches." Arla's eyes were distant. "The Elementals broke through a sewage tunnel, without their armor. Caught us by surprise, but there weren't enough of them." She glanced down at her knuckles, which were split and bloody. "We managed to surround them, but they wouldn't give up. The fighting became hand-to-hand…this one Elemental, I think he was the commander…he had an axe. Killed two of mine before I killed him." She touched the naginata. "He didn't die well, that one."

The medics raised the stretcher, and Sheila helped her mother up. "Go with Dad, Momma."

"We have much to discuss."

"Yes, but later."

Arla gathered Sheila in a hug. "I am so glad you're alive." She pulled back and kissed Sheila on the cheek. "My beautiful, beautiful daughter. Come to the hospital when you're able." She kissed her again, then left to follow Calla to a waiting ambulance. "Don't launch any attacks without my permission," Calla called out, and Sheila waved back, considering herself very lucky that her family was intact. She went to find Max.

She found him, sitting on the foot of his _Battlemaster_, staring at nothing. He brightened a little when he saw her. "Hi, babe."

"Hi." Sheila found herself smiling. His greeting had been so like her own father's to her mother. They had grown up fast. She took a seat next to him. "Dad's busted up, but he's going to make it. Mom's okay. So's your mom…did she come talk to you?"

"No. But I know what she's going to say." Max picked at a tiny piece of armor that had peeled up from his 'Mech. "My father's dead."

Sheila gasped. "Are you sure? Who told you?"

"Cathy Houndlikov. She came by a few minutes ago, looking for you. She told me. He bought it at Avalanche Pass. She said he saved everyone, bought the Sentinels enough time to get here."

"Max…" Sheila embraced him, tears spilling from her eyes. "I'm so sorry." She hated saying it. Words were useless. She noticed he wasn't crying; Max was just blank.

"Marcus Drax is dead too." He listlessly motioned at a downed _Phoenix Hawk._ "Chi-Li got him before we could come help."

Sheila buried her head in her hands. "Oh God. Not Marcus. Not him." He had been the last of her Command Lance, after Kaatha's death and Felisanna's self-exile. "Not all of us."

They held each other for a long time. Eventually, someone spoke. "Excuse me," Senefa Malthus said. "May I sit?" Her face was red and she was sweating. Without waiting for permission, she sat down heavily on what had been part of Chi-Li's _Mad Cat._

Sheila looked up. "You disobeyed my orders."

"I had noticed that, aff."

"Where's Tam Seneca?"

Senefa smiled wanly. "Swearing eternal vengeance on me back at the _Minerva_, I would surmise. I did pull a pistol on him, after all." She leaned backwards, pain on her face. "If you want to punish me, make me walk around a little more. It hurts very much."

"I should have you strung up!"

"You will have to get in line behind Captain Baron, quiaff? He has already threatened to do exactly that. Again, he has a good reason, as I threatened him with his own gun."

"I never should've left you alone with them."

Senefa chuckled. "Neg, you should not have."

"Come here, dammit." Senefa stood and painfully hobbled over. Sheila scooted over and patted the foot. "Sit down. How did you pilot that _Loki_ all the way here?"

"It was not easy."

"You saved my life," Sheila said after a moment.

"Aff," was all Senefa said. Sheila knew that Senefa had to be aware of who she had killed. She showed no emotion. Sheila wondered if there was any emotion to show.

Sheila leaned back herself, Max's arm still around her. _I'm lucky…no, I'm blessed,_ she thought. _My parents are still alive. My battalion is still intact. I have my husband and my best friend. And we've won, in that we've survived._ She stared up at the sky. _Why, God? Why me? I mean, I'm glad I'm alive, but why have you blessed me…and not others?_

"Well, this is a hell of sight."

Sheila sat up to see Elfa Brownoak standing there, hands on hips. Her dress, the only clothes she had left that fit, were decidedly out of place on a battlefield. "Great," Sheila groaned. "Everybody's disobeying my orders today."

"What? Tooriu radioed that we won the battle—in fifteen minutes, no less—so here I am. Moore brought up his tanks. Figured we might need them. And as your second, I approved it."

Sheila got to her feet. "Whatever, Elfa. I'm too tired to argue. Come on, all of you. Let's find Mira and get back in the war."

Max helped Senefa up and offered her a shoulder. When even that didn't keep Senefa from gritting her teeth audibly in pain, Sheila clicked her tongue and took the other arm. "We're a hell of a battalion, aren't we?" Elfa remarked.

"You should be sitting down," Max said. "In your condition—"

"Oh, fuck my condition!" Elfa snapped. "I belong here, dammit. We all do. Matter of fact, I look a hell of a lot fresher than you lot. Follow me, idiots."

Sheila, who hadn't been sure if she would ever smile again, smiled at that.

* * *

They reached Mira's command post a moment later. It wasn't much: d'Argentan had driven one of his Long Toms forward, and they had opened the rear hatches and spread a tent out. A table had been set up, and was covered with maps. Mira gave them a nod as the four walked in, and found herself smiling at Elfa. "Well, well, Elfa. Either you ate a chicken franchise before you got here, or you're about ready to pop."

"Don't mention food right now," Elfa replied. She went around next to Mira and accepted a hug. She spotted Tooriu walking past the CP. "Hey, lover! Get that gorgeous ass in here!" Tooriu's face split in a huge grin and he pulled back the flap. The two embraced, Tooriu tipping Elfa's head back and nearly smothering her in a kiss. Sheila saw Mira's face working, and went over to her. She bent close to her mother-in-law's ear. "Max knows," she told her.

Mira rubbed at her eyes. "That's fine…saves me the-the…" Her fists bunched. "No, dammit, I can't let go, there's too much—"

"Mira." Sheila touched her shoulder. "I'll handle it."

"Alpha Battalion is at Eger, Beta is out on the river," Mira hurriedly said. "Snowbirds have the left flank, with Ceta's tanks on the right. What's left of the ComGuards is behind us. The Gray Death Legion is parallelling the 94th Striker, should be here soon." She pulled Sheila's head down and kissed her forehead. "Thank you. God bless you." Then she went out behind the Long Tom. Max quickly followed. Sheila wanted to as well, but the Sentinels needed Commander Arla-Vlata right now, not Sheila. She heard great heaving sobs, and Max's voice, softly comforting his mother.

Nearly an hour passed quickly; Sheila didn't even realize it had until she noticed that the chronometer in the Long Tom's crew compartment had changed and it was getting dark outside. Reports straggled in and were handed to her, enough for her to put together what was left of the regiment. It wasn't much. Alpha Battalion reported 35 percent losses; Beta, 45 percent. Ceta was battered. Gamma had nearly ceased to exist: only two lances were still operational. Officer casualties were particularly high. The Snowbirds' luck had held. Only one of theirs, Marcus Drax, had died. The Sentinels were still a regiment, but only just. Clan losses were equally high, she knew, but it wasn't much comfort.

"Sheila. Want some sandwiches?" Elfa proferred a plate of them. "It's peanut butter on toast, but what the hell."

Sheila's stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten all day. She took two of the sandwiches. "Thanks, Elfa."

"Nada. Hey, I just heard from the SLI. They found Yesukai Shambag."

"How much was left?"

"Physically, she's actually okay. Mentally, beats me. Someone knocked out her 'Mech, and they found her huddled up under its leg, crying uncontrollably. You just never know with these Clanners. SLI turned her over to Kazumi; I suppose it's not very Christian to hope that he shoots her…" Her voice trailed off.

Sheila wolfed down one of the sandwiches, took a updated sick list from a MechWarrior she didn't recognize, and abruptly realized Elfa hadn't finished her sentence. Instead, she was staring straight ahead, her face pale. "Elfa?" Sheila asked. "What's wrong?"

"Uhm…I'm not exactly sure." Slowly, she looked down, then back up at Sheila. "I think my water just broke."

Sheila's eyes widened. "You…what?"

Elfa gripped the sides of the table. "Uh, Sheila? I think I'm going to into labor here. Request permission to be relieved of my duties?"

Sheila didn't answer, but stuck her head out of the flap. "_Medic!_" she screamed.

Mira and Max, sitting next to the Long Tom, jumped. "What? What's wrong?" Max asked.

"Elfa's having her babies!"

"What, right _now?!_"

"Right now!"

Mira dusted off the rear of her pants. "I knew this was going to happen. As soon as I heard Elfa was pregnant, I _knew_ this was going to happen. I'll find Doc Rabbit; medics don't know how to deliver kids, much less twins." She hurried off.

Max did the same. "I'll find Tooriu!" he yelled over his shoulder.

"But…but…" Sheila realized she was alone, and ducked back into the CP. "Elfa, lie down!" She was nearly doubled over.

Senefa, who had hobbled off earlier to find something to eat, picked this moment to arrive. "What is going on in here?"

"I'm in labor, you Clanner moron!" Elfa gritted out. "I can't lay in the mud, Sheila! I need some place clean!"

Sheila made a split-second decision. "Get in the Long Tom!"

"It's not clean in there!"

"It's cleaner than out here!" Sheila helped Elfa into the crew compartment. There was a shelf where ready ammunition was kept; the Long Tom had fired off all of its shells, and the crew had also left to eat dinner. The floor was muddy, so Elfa couldn't be put there, but the shelf would work. Elfa shut her eyes and puffed. "I feel a contraction coming on!"

"Senefa! Help Elfa get her underwear off!" Sheila searched frantically for something that might work to prop Elfa's feet up. "We might not make it until Doc Rabbit gets here!"

Senefa did as she was told, her face a shade of pale green. Elfa couldn't see over her swollen belly. "Senefa, how does it look? Am I dilated?"

The Clanswoman bent down. "Ah…aff. You are indeed dilated, and you…uh…" Senefa put a hand to her mouth and ran outside. Sheila and Elfa turned in her direction as they heard Senefa vomiting next to the Long Tom. "What's with her?" Elfa asked.

"The Clans have a real problem with natural childbirth. Congrats, Elfa—I don't think anything's ever grossed out Senefa before."

Elfa snickered. "Well, I'm glad I accomplished _that_—" She suddenly grabbed Sheila's left hand. "Oh, shit! Another contraction! Big one!"

"Um…breathe! Breathe, Elfa!" Sheila had absolutely no idea what she was saying, and was glad that Elfa had grabbed the artificial hand, and even that was creaking alarmingly. After a tense minute, Elfa's color and her breathing returned to normal. "Yikes. That was bad. Where the hell is—"

"Elfa!" Tooriu burst into the back of the Long Tom. He checked Elfa over quickly, frantically. "Are you okay? Max said the kids are coming—"

"Let me through, dammit!" Doc Rabbit shoved Max out of the way; he had been staring at Elfa from the hatchway, alternately fascinated and bewildered. Sheila stepped back, and Rabbit bent down. He nodded. "Yep. Won't be much longer."

"Can we move her?"

"Well, she's not having her babies in the back of an artillery piece, that's for sure. I got an ambulance waiting. Max, grab that stretcher off the side of the vehicle—"

"I got it, Doc." Tooriu reached under and gently gathered Elfa into his arms, muscles bulging under the T-shirt he wore. Grunting, he followed Rabbit out; Sheila, doing the same, saw that Mira and Rabbit had pulled up an ambulance to the back of the CP. Along with the horrified-looking Long Tom crew, a number of Sentinels had gathered near there. Some of them immediately walked up to Sheila, proferring after-action reports and datapads, and Sheila realized that they were looking to her for decisions. She motioned them over to the tables, sat down, and began checking over the paperwork and datapads. Max took up a position next to her, acting as her filter, slipping easily into the team they formed in running the Snowbirds—except now Sheila was essentially running the Sentinels as a whole.

Senefa returned as well, still a bit green, and waited patiently until Sheila had a break. "Will Elfa be all right?" she asked.

"I suppose," Sheila answered. "I mean, I really don't know anything about childbirth…except what they taught us in sex ed, anyway."

Senefa's expression was quizzical, then she said, "Ah," apparently coming to the realization that Sheila's knowledge was not much more than her own. "Why have they not taken her back to the hospital in Reichenberg?"

"Doc Rabbit said the hospital was swamped," Max replied. "Said Elfa might as well give birth in the ambulance, since it's safer, quieter, and cleaner."

"Oh yeah. I bet the hospital's a madhouse," Sheila stated. It would be crammed with casualties, with blood everywhere, and the noise would be horrible—yelling doctors, screaming patients, various medcomps and assorted equipment beeping and shrilling for someone's attention. In the books she had read in the Nagelring, no one quite mentioned that. She had the impression that a field hospital was one like on the tridee, where patients suffered heroically and quietly in an antiseptic, bloodless ward, with doctors working professionally and efficiently in equal reserved silence, and nurses standing by to pat down the doctor's brow and hold the patient's hand. The really badly hurt patients would be administered an anaesthetic, naturally. The reality, she had learned on Kagoshima and elsewhere, was far different. Wounded men and women screamed in horrible pain, the floors would be slicked with blood. Doctors and nurses would indeed work professionally and efficiently, but the nurses were too harried to be patting down anyone's brow, and doctors cursed and yelled like anyone else under stress. Sometimes, surgery had to be carried out in a hurry, with no time for anaesthetic to take effect, if there were any; they had actually run out on Kagoshima. It was definitely no place for someone to be brought into the world.

More Sentinels had gathered, and Sheila saw that most of the Snowbirds were there as well. They weren't all here to deliver or take away reports, either: obviously the news of Elfa's labor had spread across the battlefield. Max made the suggestion that someone start passing out food packs—it was getting on towards dinner, and darkness was spreading across the field—and the Sentinels gathered around the CP sat exhausted in the mud, eating. The ambulance itself was quiet. Conversation was muted, not so much out of respect for Elfa so much as it was that everyone was simply exhausted. Sheila checked in with the perimeter: even the Clans were quiet.

Everyone jumped when Elfa's shriek pierced the air, followed by a cry of "_Gimme morphine, dammit!"_ Sheila and Max exchanged a look, then headed over to the ambulance. Sheila opened it, only to have Rabbit snap over his shoulder, "Close the pneumonia hole! I'm delivering kids here!" Sheila slammed the door, but not before she got a glimpse of Elfa, her face as red as the heat alarm in a 'Mech cockpit, her blond hair frizzed out of a surgical cap, her legs ridiculously up in straps hanging from the ambulance roof. Crammed in beside her was one of Rabbit's nurses, whose expression was one of boredom, checking her watch; Mira, who was holding Elfa's head, and Tooriu, who was busy sucking oxygen from a mask, his face pale as a sheet.

"Maybe we should post a guard," Sheila said. She smiled at Max. "Maybe not being able to have kids is such a bad thing after all." She touched his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He led her around the other side of the ambulance, so the gathered Sentinels couldn't see them. "Mom and I had a long talk. She'll…we're going to be all right." He sat down on the running board. "Seeing Elfa reminds me that we have our own daughter to go back to."

"I've been thinking about that too." Sheila stared down the hill. 'Mechs still burned and smoldered. She was reminded of what Wellington had said after Waterloo:_ next to a battle lost, there is nothing so melancholy as a battle won._ "I think we've fought our last battle, Max. Of this war. The Sentinels, even the Snowbirds…we're all used up. We can't give any more than we already have."

There was a long silence, and then Max said, "We'll come back from this, Sheila."

"Sure we will." Mira came around the other side of the ambulance, her hands still encased in surgical gloves. "I wasn't just jerking Kazumi's chain. We'll come back stronger than ever." She leaned against the ambulance between them. "But it won't be Calla or me leading them. It'll be you two."

"_Us?"_ Sheila exclaimed.

"Specifically, you," Mira added, looking at Sheila.

"_Me?_ Mira, I've been at this for all day! I can't command a regiment!"

"Not right now, no. You'll need some time." Mira gazed into the night sky, where stars had begun to appear. "Sheila, your father and I…our time in the sun is coming to an end. We grew up and trained to fight people like House Kurita. The Clans are a different opponent, completely different. All we've been able to do is hold them off long enough to retreat. I think here, on Sudeten, if the FedCom was willing to make a fight, we could keep this planet. Don't get me wrong: Hanse Davion is right to do what he's doing. We're going to stop these guys. The Jade Falcons and the other Clans can't afford too many more 'victories' like this one. And after seeing Wiessler's ComGuards—I think ComStar, or parts of them, are eventually going to throw in with us, and if they all fight like him, then we're going to stop these bastards.

"But Sheila, Max, my generation, we've fought our wars. You've proven that you can _beat_ the Clans, in a straight-up fight. We were lucky today, that you showed up _exactly_ at the right time to break them, and that their leadership wasn't as good as it should've been. Cavell Malthus got obsessed with taking down Calla, and Shambag got herself tied down in a secondary fight. Chi-Li was a bastard, and I hope he burns in hell, but if he or that Kazumi character had been in charge, we'd be hauling ass for the DropShips right now and devil take the hindmost. But somehow, Sheila, I think you could take a Chi-Li or Kazumi in a fight. You wouldn't have needed as much luck because you can make your own. I think you're going to get the opportunity to show that you can fight a regiment as well as you can a battalion. Matter of fact, I think I'm going to recommend such to your dad."

"I can't…my God, Mira, I'm not yet twenty."

"So?" Mira grinned. "I'm not saying you're going to have to run the show by yourself, Sheila. You've got good people here. Marion Rhialla. Maysa Bari. Mike Whelan over with Alpha/4. D'Argentan. Mikkansia Jackson. Art Sterling. I can go down the line. And neither I nor your father, nor your mother, will ever be far away." She patted Max's shoulder. "And your best is right here. My son." She tousled his hair. "And such a son." She stared up at them. "Well," she said, biting back her tears, "let's stop there before I become too maudlin. Shall we see what Elfa has delivered? I don't hear her screaming or telling Tooriu that she's going to cut his throat for getting her into this, so we must have some new recruits to inspect."

Sure enough, when they came back around the ambulance, Doc Rabbit was leaning against the doors, half-asleep, ignoring the fact that everyone around the CP was staring at him. "Well?" Mira asked.

Rabbit tiredly regarded her. "In case you didn't know, it's twins." He stripped off his surgical gloves and let them fall to the ground. "Boy and a girl, both healthy as horses. I thought I'd let the happy family have a moment. Elfa's going to be okay. She had a little tearing; nothing serious. That's what all the yelling for morphine was about." He laughed softly. "Mira, you had an easy time with him." He pointed at Max. "But Sheila, your mother was twelve hours in labor with you. I remember her saying that if you didn't hurry up, she was going in after you herself with a knife. You were one of my worst."

"She's always been a pain," Max quipped.

"I'd laugh, but I'm too damn tired."

"Get some sleep, Doc," Sheila said. "That's an order."

He sketched an ironic salute. "Yes, Commander." Rabbit wandered off into the crowd, people shaking his hand, slapping his back, and hugging him as he went.

The doors to the ambulance opened, and Tooriu, beaming, motioned them inside. "Check these out," he said to Sheila, Max, and Mira—and Senefa, who had come up, her curiosity overpowering her revulsion. They climbed into the ambulance, crowding in. Elfa's cheeks were wet, her hair was tousled, and she was ectastically happy. "Aren't they beautiful?" she sniffled. She peeled back the blankets they were wrapped in, revealing the scrunched up faces of a boy and a girl, their eyes closed. "Everyone, meet Ethan and Kayleigh."

"They look like you two," Sheila said, then winced at saying something so profoundly dumb.

"Well, I _hope_ so," Elfa remarked. "If they looked like someone else, Tooriu and I would be having a serious discussion." She saw Senefa staring at the babies like they were unexploded ordnance. "C'mere, Senefa. Take a closer look at some real freebirths."

Senefa did. She put on her gloves, reached out, and touched the boy's face. His eyes opened a little, a tiny hand reached up, and grabbed at her finger. Senefa winced. "Strong. They will be warriors, I think."

"Like his father. Probably hungry all the time like him, too." Elfa exchanged a kiss with Tooriu, then reached up and handed the babies to him. "Go on, Tooriu. The whole regiment's out there. Go show them."

Tooriu stepped out onto the stairs of the ambulance. "Hey, Sentinels! Check 'em out—my kids, born in battle!"

The cheer roared over the battlefield, a place and a people that had seen so much death now seeing life.


	12. With Honors

_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_ _Sort of the last chapter. There will be an epilogue I'll post later in the week: kind of a curtain call for the surviving cast. And a little extra too._

_I have to admit being a little reluctant to put up this chapter. With this, the Snowbirds' story is pretty much complete. If so, it's been a journey that's taken me eight years to write (granted, there's been a lot of "operational pauses") and thirteen chapters to finish. The story has changed radically from when I first put pen to paper way back in 1991, inspired by Michael Stackpole's Blood of Kerensky trilogy. In the original idea I had, Sheila and Victor Steiner-Davion had been brief lovers, the Snowbirds had assaulted no less than the _Dire Wolf _itself, and between the stand on Kagoshima (which was originally supposed to take place on Hyperion and against the 13__th__ Wolf Guards) and the final battle on Grunwald—not Sudeten—the Snowbirds were involved in a beyond top secret mission to assassinate Ulric Kerensky, though they eventually saved his life from a Crusader Clan attempt to kill Ulric as well, once Phelan Kell was able to convince Sheila not to finish the job. Oh, and did I mention that it was supposed to be _Senefa_ who got preggers from Vornzel? Yeah, that was before I read Thurston's novels. I hope that the story has become less munchy and more interesting._

_My profuse and complete thanks go out to all my reviewers who have read the story and left their impressions; they are legion, for they are many. However, a special shout-out needs to go to Kat Wylder, RogueBaron, SulliMike, Mosin M38, Bien Canonizado (in his many guises) and the anonymous Reader, for sticking with me the whole time, inspiring me with reviews (even critical ones) and even artwork. Bien in particular changed the series, since Felisanna was originally supposed to die on Kagoshima, while the Reader really brought up some things I hadn't thought about. After his reviews, I wish I had made Max Canis-Vlata a bit stronger and less of a beta male to Sheila. Oh well. Next time. Kat's stories inspired me to make some changes in the character of Senefa Malthus to give her a little more depth, and Mosin has always been there with a kind word. I'm pretty sure SulliMike has followed me from Lords of the Battlefield through my Inu-Yasha stories to here. And Rogue not only just about left a review for every chapter, he's the only other person to actually draw the characters besides myself. He's just an awesome guy._

_This is in no way intended to slight anyone else who has reviewed or read my story. You're all great folks. To echo the closing words of "Jack McKinney" in the last Robotech novel: we'll have to do this again some time._

_Naturally, this doesn't mean I'm going to quit writing. I'm still going to churn out some Inu-Yasha silliness and maybe even get around to writing an end to my Evangelion stories (though since it's Evangelion, the ending will be bleak). And I've still got an idea for a good NCIS story._

_Oh, and there's the little matter of getting my novel—now finished—published. I'm working on that. Slowly, but I'm working on it._

_Thank you all for sticking with it...and for believing._

* * *

_REVIEWER'S CORNER: _

_The Reader: Well, we've had the discussion about teenagers in the Battletech universe before…Sheila's just following in the footsteps of Victor Steiner-Davion and a hundred anime characters. I'm sorry you found the ending predictable, but it is called _Snowbird Triumphant _and not _Snowbirds All Die Horribly._ No offense taken and none given, though._

_Cire1: Well, this is pretty much it for this story, but there's a lot of other good stuff to read._

_Rogue: I thought about killing Calla, but I couldn't write the scene. I struggled with Max coming to terms with his father being killed and couldn't do it to Sheila at the same time. Besides, Calla is based a little on my own father, and he told me "Please don't kill my character." This from the same guy who has written a novel where _his_ main character buys the farm halfway through…as far as the delivery scene goes, no, I'm just drawing on a thousand bad hospital shows. But given how the Clans feel about natural childbirth, it made sense that Senefa, confronted with it, would get violently ill._

_Mosin: Very much a changing of the guard. This chapter was supposed to be that, kind of like how _Lost Destiny_ was the switchover from the Succession Wars characters to Victor and Co. However, I hadn't really thought about how Tooriu and Elfa's twins represent the "next generation." I'm guessing Senefa wouldn't know what to do with babies, though at least she didn't throw them across the room like Miriya Parino supposedly did with Dana in _Robotech.

_MUSIC CORNER: What other music could be used but "The Throne Room" from _Star Wars? _Well, maybe "The Olympic March" by John Williams._

* * *

_The Triad_

_Tharkad, Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth_

_10 September 3052_

"Commander Sheila Arla-Vlata, Major Maximilian Canis-Vlata, Major Marion Rhialla, and Lance Commander Maysa Bari." Archon Melissa Steiner-Davion's voice echoed through the titanic courtyard of the Triad. It was a balmy summer day on the generally frozen world of Tharkad. She stood on a raised dais, flanked by her customary BattleMech guards, two _Griffins_ resplendent in the blue and white of the 10th Lyran Guards, specially painted for the occasion. Ten thousand people had crowded into the courtyard to see the ceremony, at least half of which were military. Dress uniforms from forty regiments were scattered throughout the crowd, from the dark green of the Donegal Guards to the purple of the Royal Guards; the fox-head coats of the Kell Hounds to the fur-lined red of Wolf's Dragoons. Three of them even wore the red-trimmed white of the Draconis Combine, Shin Yodama among them as the formal representative of that realm. In the middle of that triangle of white, at the front of the crowd, was a smaller woman wearing a kimono—Omi Kurita. For a Kurita to stand in the ruling castle of the Lyran Commonwealth side of the Federated Commonwealth was itself enough to make this a historical occasion.

Victor Steiner-Davion, the Commonwealth Star gleaming around his throat, stood to one side, along with forty other warriors being honored that day. Some of those were still wearing bandages; two were in wheelchairs. All wore the formal uniform of the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth, though with different patches from two dozen units. He exchanged a grin with Renny Sanderlin, who wore a Bronze Starburst on his tunic for his actions on Teniente. Conspiciously absent was Kai Allard-Liao, who had been recovered alive from Alyina and easily awarded the Commonwealth Star, since he already had the Medal of Honor for his actions on Twycross. Kai, however, had respectfully declined the award, gone to his father's funeral on New Syrtis, and announced his desire to compete in the endless 'Mech games on Solaris VII as his father Justin had. Victor thought it was a monumental waste, but knew that his friend carried scars besides his physical ones. _We all do,_ he thought. After a brief glance at Omi—who returned it without embarrassment—he returned his attention to the corridor between the assembled troops.

They walked forward in a square of sorts, with Sheila and Max out front, Marion and Maysa behind. All four wore the Snowbird version of the Sentinels dress uniform, all-white with powder blue trim and capes. Each person's left breast held a dozen or more campaign ribbons and honors; Marion's ran from her shoulder to the peak of her breast. Each, Victor reflected, had their own style: Sheila's hair was caught in her customary ponytail, and she had left her artificial arm uncovered; Max's hair fell to his shoulders, unkempt, wearing polished black boots as opposed to the white ones the others wore, in honor of his father; Marion's hair was unashamedly gray, her cape not blue but rather striped black and white, the colors of her old battalion, Tigerstripe's Legionnaires; Maysa Bari, her red hair cut short in Steiner-fashion and braided, wearing a silver pin on her right breast that indicated her status as the highest scoring 'Mech killer in the Sentinels. All four of them, Victor also noted, wore twin swords thrust through the belts, Kagoshima's honor.

He saw them turn and nod or wave to a group in the crowd: the Sentinels able to make it to the ceremony. Many Victor did not know, but he picked out Tooriu Kku and his wife Elfa, as well as Tessya Blackthorn—who Victor saw had chosen to wear the eagle feather headdress presented to her by the Lakota Nation—and Philip Scott. Because her cape was Jade Falcon green and she wore pinned to her right breast the three daggerstars of a Clan Star Colonel, Senefa Malthus was easy to see. She too had been awarded a number of medals, but refused them all, saying that a Clan warrior only required a Bloodname, and that she already had and always would, no matter what her former Clan might say.

They mounted the dais and the Archon stepped forward. On one arm she wore a black mourning band, and Victor felt a pang of emotional pain, remembering how his father Hanse had literally died in his arms, on the same day a formal end to the Clan War had been announced. The Clans had been stopped by the ComGuards of ComStar, finally coming out from behind their neutrality and beating the Clans on Tukayyid at horrendous cost to both sides. As a result, the Clans had sworn not to further advance on Terra for fifteen years or expand their occupation zones; though no one believed them, the war was over—for now.

The four honored Sentinels would be the last so honored today, because they were the only mercenaries. Some felt it was an insult, but Victor knew the Sentinels would merely claim it was because they saved the best for last. They came to attention.

Melissa's voice carried over the courtyard. "It is not often that this realm honors those who fight outside our military forces." It was a delicate way of saying 'mercenaries' without saying the word itself. "Yet these four here have done much to be so honored. The Sentinels have fought the Clans on more worlds than any other AFFC unit combined—Persistence. Rasalhague. Blackjack. Twycross. Planting. Vantaa. Mozrije. Kirchbach. Star's End. New Caledonia. Kagoshima. Sudeten." She read off the list. "I cannot honor all the Sentinels more than I already have, which is inadequate. Ribbons and medals cannot replace the fallen. They can only honor those who have survived and triumphed. I award these medals to these four people, but they are for the Sentinels as a whole as well." The crowd cheered and clapped.

A MechWarrior wearing the Royal Guards' uniform stepped forward with an ornate box, and Melissa opened it. "For consistent service above and beyond the call of duty, and for achieving no less than thirty solo BattleMech kills, I present Lance Commander Maysa Bari with the Silver Starburst. You, Miss Bari, are the youngest recipient of this award." Melissa reached out and tied the silver medal around Maysa's neck, where it glittered. To Victor's concern, Maysa's face had drained entirely of color and she blinked as if trying to stay conscious. She gripped the sides of her pants to keep her hands from trembling, but this just caused the tremors to spread over her whole body. It was customary for someone to curtsey or bow after receiving their medal, but Maysa abruptly fell to one knee. Melissa actually blushed. "No, no," she whispered, "don't kneel! I'm not knighting you. Besides," Melissa winked at her with a smile, "I put my pants on one leg at a time just like you do."

Maysa was on her feet in a blur. "Yes, Your Highness. S-Sorry, Your…Your…" Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.

"Don't cry now. It's okay." Melissa patted Maysa on the shoulder, and turned to Marion Rhialla, raising her voice again. "In a time when royals need to fight for their realms as knights and nobles of yore, often it is difficult for some to train them. Many people go to bed at night wondering if they have made a difference. Major Marion Rhialla does not have that problem." She pulled another medal from the case. "For her actions in training my son and others on Outreach, for her steadfastness, for her actions on Vantaa, New Caledonia, and on Kagoshima, and for being the beating heart of your unit, it is my great pleasure to award the Diamond Starburst to you, Marion." She also tied the medal around Marion's neck and stepped back, but Marion did not curtsey or bow.

"Madam," said the Royal Guardsman, "it is customary to acknowledge the Archon with a—"

"Sir," Marion said in her training voice, her words cracking around the courtyard, "I am a mercenary. I kneel nor bow to no man or woman."

The Guardsman's mouth fell open, but Melissa merely chuckled. "What am I going to do if I ever have to knight _you?_" she asked.

"Then don't knight me, Your Highness," Marion replied, but it was with a broad smile.

Melissa shook hands instead, then it was Max's turn. "While I could honor you also for your training and your steadfastness, Major Canis-Vlata, instead, you have been chosen for one specific action. On New Caledonia, you chose to charge an entire Clan Star by yourself, engaged a _Daishi_ in single combat, and destroyed it by flinging it and yourself over a cliff. In doing so, you saved an entire company. That is merely one action of many, Major. You have always been there when your realm, your regiment, and, if I may say so, your family has always needed you. If Major Rhialla is the heart of the Sentinels, I daresay you are its soul. For this reason and others, it is my honor and pleasure to award you the Commonwealth Star." She dropped her voice. "You're going to have to bow to me, Maximilian, otherwise I'll never get this medal on you." Melissa Steiner-Davion was tall, but Max still had six inches on her. Max bowed to her and she placed the medal around his neck. She then shook hands with him. "Your father would be very proud of you," she told him.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Max said back, and then turned to watch Sheila.

"It has already been my honor to present Commander Sheila Arla-Vlata with the Commonwealth Star for her actions on Rasalhague, but since then…after a brief hiccup…" Sheila winced, hearing the mild rebuke for the court-martial after Blackjack "…she has gone on to greater and greater glory. Normally medals are awarded for a single action above and beyond the call of duty, but Sheila Arla-Vlata has done more than a single action. She has planned and executed a daring raid behind enemy lines, not once, but twice—on Vantaa, and in Operation Rubicon. On Kagoshima, she chose to stand and fight rather than leave the planet, though it would have been no dishonor to do so. On Sudeten, again, executing an action that was not required, she successfully penetrated a Clan blockade and launched a surprise attack at exactly the right time to do so. By doing so, she inflicted grevious harm on the Clans and, if the ComGuards are getting credit for having stopped the Jade Falcons' blitzkrieg on Tukayyid, it is because too many of their warriors fell elsewhere—such as on Sudeten. Sheila Arla-Vlata's extraordinary heroism are in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon her, her unit, and the Federated Commonwealth. Though her regiment has already honored her by promoting her to a position for which she is well-suited—command—it is my honor and pleasure to award Commander Arla-Vlata with the Commonwealth Medal of Honor."

Victor stepped forward this time; the Medal of Honor came in its own ivory and gold case. "You're definitely going to have to bow to me, classmate," Victor grinned at her. Sheila was a foot taller than him. She grinned back and bowed. Victor handed his mother the medal, though the ribbon nearly slipped from his hand.

"Don't drop it, you clumsy bastard," Marion quipped out of the side of her mouth, and Victor had to fight down a laugh.

Melissa placed the medal around Sheila's neck. "I would rather have one of these," she whispered, "than be Archon." Sheila saw the expression in the Archon's ice-blue eyes: she was quite serious.

"Th…thank you," Sheila stammered out, in her nervousness forgetting to add the honorific.

"Thank _you,_ Commander." Melissa drew her into a hug. "For everything." She let go; Sheila was surprised that the older woman was surprisingly strong.

"Sentinels!" Marion barked. "'Shun!" Everyone on the dais snapped to, by instinct if nothing else. "There are officers present. About face! Salute!" She turned on one heel and brought her hand up in a perfect, parade-style salute. Maysa did the same with equal precision, as did Max and Sheila, but Max suddenly turned, grabbed Sheila, and pulled her close.

"You're going to kiss me in front of ten thousand people?" Sheila asked, going pale.

"If I don't, when I'm sixty years old, I'll regret I didn't. Besides," Max winked, "if Lieutenant Commanders turned me on, you _know_ full Commanders do." And with that, he gave her a fiery kiss. Sheila brought her hands up to his face.

A cheer heard for miles around Tharkad City erupted, for the Sentinels, for the medals, and for the Snowbirds, triumphant.


	13. Snowbird's Epilogue

_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_ _Uh…heh heh. I sort of forgot that I hadn't posted this. Whoops. But anyway, this is the LAST chapter of the Snowbird Saga. I really mean it this time. Sort of._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER: _

_Texray: Thank you very much. The honor is mine._

_Moisin: The actor/character list is somewhere in the review corners somewhere. I don't know where myself. Besides, the list is so out of date now that I have no idea who could play who. I have some Photoshopped pictures of Famke Janssen as Sheila and Carrie-Anne Moss as Senefa, but given that most of the characters are under the age of 20, I really don't know who could play who. Maybe we'd just go the _Avatar_ route and CGI them all anyway. After reading _Wishful Drinking_ over the holidays, though, I somehow see Carrie Fisher as Marion Rhialla._

_Pacificuser/Bien: Great to hear from you! Hope you're doing better now._

_Reader: Thank you. I don't know what or when I'll be writing next, but sooner or later the muse will ambush me._

_Peaslums: Thanks for the great compliment! As for publishing the Snowbird stories, I doubt that'll ever happen. For one thing, I mess around with Battletech canon and occasionally steal outright from war movies. I am working on two novels that I hope to get published someday (they have nothing to do with Battletech, though one has a pretty tough female in a Sheila mold, except that she really is immortal…Reader will love _that_ one…), but breaking into the writing business is very tough._

_Rogue: As always, thanks._

_MUSIC CORNER: No idea. It's an epilogue, after all._

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

The Clan War was over. However, the Snowbirds story does not end there, of course. Their adventures may yet be written someday, but for now, this hopefully will suffice.

_Calla Bighorn-Vlata_ retired from command of the Sentinels after the Battle of Sudeten, though he made a full recovery. He went on to briefly accept a position teaching at the Thorin Military Academy, where the Sentinels were posted after the war ended. However, the forced inaction of a man who had been a MechWarrior and in command for so long grated on him, and he would briefly attempt to retake command of his beloved Sentinels. The regiment, as Mira had predicted, had passed him by, however, and it briefly caused a rift between himself and his daughter. They have since patched up their differences, however, and Calla now has settled into retirement—though he occasionally pilots a new, modified _Battlemaster_ into combat when the Sentinels need an extra hand, even as he nears seventy.

_Arla Bighorn-Vlata_ also retired alongside her husband, handing over command of the Sentinels Light Infantry to Mikkansia Jackson. She then went into politics, though was never particularly successful above the local level due to her tendency to speak her mind. She and Calla separated over the issue of Calla attempting to return to command the Sentinels, but have since gotten back together. She, however, is satisfied to "putter around" in her flower bed and enjoy her retirement.

_Mira Canis-Vlata_, after the death of Todd, remained as Sheila Arla-Vlata's second in command until the Sentinels finished rebuilding in early 3053. She then also retired and went into politics on her home planet of Shensi. She had better luck than her cousin-in-law Arla, and eventually became Duchess of Shensi in one of the last acts of Melissa Steiner-Davion before the Archon's assassination in June 3055. After Shensi returned to the Capellan Confederation, Mira had become so popular that the people petitioned Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao to allow her to remain Duchess. Surprisingly, he agreed. Mira retired from that position in 3070 and returned to Grunwald, where she lives just down the street from her cousin and former commander Calla.

_Catherine Houndlikov_ retired from the Sentinels as well after Sudeten, buying a ranch and living in semi-reclusion on Grunwald. Like Calla, she had occasionally gotten back into her trusty _Marauder_ and fought alongside the Sentinels, but this ended after nearly being killed on New Avalon in the Federated Commonwealth Civil War. She died in her sleep in 3071 following a stroke.

_Kazumi_ never achieved his Bloodname, but with a battlefield promotion to command of Gyrfalcon Galaxy (albeit only until the Battle of Tukayyid) remains the highest ranking non-Bloodnamed Jade Falcon. After Tukayyid, in which he played a minor role, he accepted command of the Jade Falcon training program. Out of loyalty to Cavell Malthus, he refused to ever meet with Vandervahn Chistu or Elias Crichell, but after the death of both men following the Refusal War, became a valuable ally to new Khan Marthe Pryde. He also maintained a relationship with his faithful second-in-command _Lina,_ who eventually won her Bloodname and became Lina Malthus. Lina has since risen to command the 4th Falcon Talon, and is among the loudest voices urging Clan Jade Falcon to take the field against the Word of Blake. Kazumi remains in command of the Jade Falcon Training Program; quietly and quite illegally, he maintains communication with Senefa Malthus when he is able.

_Nicia Caii_ remained Master Tech of the Sentinels, and retains that position to this day. Though fighting arthritis and losing two of her fingers in an armor saw, Nicia is still every bit as good of a tech now than she was in 3050, though she continually claims that the Sentinels' insistence on modifying _every_ 'Mech they acquire is going to kill her long before anything else will.

_Mimi Stykkis_ has never regained full use of her legs, and so remains one of the only physically-challenged MechWarriors in the Inner Sphere. Promoted to Major in 3055 and given command of her own company, Mimi has since refused further promotion, stating she is exactly where she wants to be. She and Troms Fiordur lived together in a common-law marriage for some years, but split up after Mimi revealed that she was bisexual and having an affair. While Fiordur left the Sentinels, Mimi remains, regarded as one of the most tenacious company commanders in the regiment. Her involvement in gay/lesbian causes around the Inner Sphere is a source of embarrassment to the more conservative Sheila Arla-Vlata (who is a firm believer in "don't ask, don't tell, just fight"), but they still remain friends.

_Tessya Blackthorn_ and _Philip Scott_ stayed in the Sentinels and had two children. Tessya, after Sheila's promotion to command the Sentinels, became the second commander of the Snowbirds SMCAT, while Philip took a break from being a MechWarrior to go back to his lawyer practice. Tessya suspected—falsely—that Philip was having an affair with his clients, and the two finally divorced in 3059. Tessya then left the Snowbirds and the Sentinels, but eventually returned in the first year of the Word of Blake Jihad to take command of Alpha Battalion. Philip also returned to his MechWarrior career, but has never risen above lance command. The two have no contact beyond joint custody of their children.

_Danielle Blackthorn_ got her own lance, the Buffalo Hunters, in the Sentinels rebuilding period, and was continually promoted until she took command of Gamma Battalion in 3068. She has since proven to be a superb battalion commander, eclipsing even her sister, and is known as "Green Blackthorn" for her devotion to environmentalism, to the point of requiring that her battalion police up a battlefield of even the tiniest piece of trash.

_Kahvi Falx_ formally changed her name from Kimiko Matsushima in 3054 on her father's death, so as not to cause a succession crisis in Tanadi Electronics. They never reconciled and in fact he refused to acknowledge that he even had a daughter, even after her role in the defense of Kagoshima was revealed. Kahvi also got a lance command during the Sentinels' rebuilding, working her way through the ranks; upon Tessya Blackthorn's abrupt departure from the Snowbirds, Kahvi became the third Snowbirds commanding officer. She offered to commit _seppuku_ after hesitating and nearly being overrun by Smoke Jaguar forces during Operation Bulldog, but Sheila refused and ordered her back to duty; Kahvi then led a counterattack that destroyed a Jaguar Cluster. She married Hohiro Noribetsu after a long courtship and has since given birth to a daughter. Kahvi remains commander of the Snowbirds…for now.

_Frederick Matria_ has never been promoted since joining the Sentinels in 3051, because he "doesn't want any responsibility." Instead, he has become the regiment's communication specialist, with hacking skills better than any Word of Blake operative. Nor has he ever married, claiming women were more trouble than computers, which can be replaced when they break down.

_Ariel Munroe_ recovered from her wounds and likewise rose through the ranks, eventually commanding Gamma Battalion. She once more was nearly killed, this time in the retreat off Tikonov during the FedCom Civil War, losing both her legs. She retired and took command of the Sentinels' Training Battalion.

_Chuck Badaxe _and _Maria Thyatis_, after a long courtship, married in 3053, divorced in 3055, and remarried in 3057. So far, it seems to be holding this time. Badaxe became the head of his father's myomer manufacturing firm, but lost everything when the company was nationalized by Katherine Steiner-Davion in 3065. He however seems content with his MechWarrior's salary.

_Cecilia "CeeCee" Masterson_ went through lance and then company command, remaining with the Snowbirds battalion. Many said that CeeCee was the one who actually commanded the Snowbirds, since Kahvi Falx rather timidly went along with whatever Masterson said, no matter how reckless. Though she took quite a few lovers, none were ever able to replace Kassy Holliday. Masterson was killed in 3071 leading a suicidal charge into a former Castle Brian occupied by the Word of Blake on Thorin.

_Felisanna _and _Bien Canonizado_ have never been seen again by any member of the Sentinels. It is known that they did go to Mayetta, Canonizado's home planet, but from there they disappear. Rumors persist that they had children who have gone on to become skilled MechWarriors in their own right, perhaps fighting under assumed names, perhaps even in the Sentinels themselves.

_Elfa Brownoak _and _Tooriu Kku_ remained with the Sentinels, with Elfa in line to become the Snowbirds' second commander. This went to Tessya Blackthorn, however, when Elfa decided instead to retire and raise her children. Tragically, she was to do it alone: Tooriu Kku was killed by a Taurian artillery strike in the Sentinels' first post-Clan War battle along the Periphery, against a "rogue" Taurian unit. Mourned by the entire unit, the Snowbirds' artillery lance remains known as "Tooriu's Box of Hell" in his honor, and Sheila places flowers on his grave on a regular basis—but never lilies or violets, for dead BattleMech pilots.

_Robert and Betsy Drakon_ recovered from their wounds on Kagoshima and returned to duty. Like Matria, they have refused any promotion and remain simple MechWarriors, mainly because of their fear of being split up. They are known as the "Blackjack Twins," and are a feared sight on a battlefield. Their parents were never found, and remain classified as Missing in Action.

_Glynnis Griffin_, with a grand total of fifteen 'Mechs shot out from under her by 3060, decided to retire. This proved only temporary, as she returned to the Sentinels to fight in the FedCom Civil War, and then left once more to join Wolf's Dragoons as a training officer. Following the Word of Blake's nuclear strikes on Outreach, her current whereabouts are unknown.

_Fianna Cassidy and Dennis Dorinson_ married just after the Battle of Sudeten, with Cassidy giving birth to a son in August 3052. They both rose to platoon command before retiring after the FedCom Civil War. They decided to remain wherever the Sentinels go and not return to Northwind (which proved to be a good idea). Dorinson became a teacher, while Cassidy a DJ. Their son, Sean Cassidy, joined the Sentinels in 3070 as a MechWarrior.

_David Moore_ remained commander of the Snowbirds' Ceta Company, and though offered command of the Snowbirds and later Ceta Battalion, refused. He is perfectly happy where he is, Moore says.

_Maysa Bari_ learned that she could not have children—ironically, due to a genetic quirk identical to Sheila Arla-Vlata's. Like her friend, she and her husband _Daniel Polycutt_ decided to adopt a little girl, Vikka, who was found abandoned and near feral on Steelton during a Sentinel raid on that world in 3057. Vikka was the apparent result of a rape by a Clan warrior, and her mother killed herself after Vikka turned three. Since Maysa herself still has no knowledge of her biological parents, she could appreciate Vikka's situation. While Polycutt eventually became a company commander, Maysa's extraordinary climb has continued, becoming a lance commander, a company commander, command of Gamma Battalion (leaving her beloved Snowbirds), and finally command of the Sentinels' Rapid Deployment Force, the regiment having expanded to two regiments by 3060—being the youngest in regimental history in all four positions. As Sheila Arla-Vlata's second in command, if Sheila decides to retire after the WOB Jihad is over, Maysa will become the third commander of the Sentinels, the culmination of an entire life inside the regiment.

In between Maysa also managed to become a Inner Sphere-renowned singer (with Daniel as her manager), with a voice so perfect that she actually reduced a Clan commander to tears after he heard her singing before a battle on Koniz in 3055.

_Marion Rhialla_ remained with the Sentinels after the Clan War ended, but after Alfred Dennison was killed in 3054, decided to retire. This lasted for a few years until, bored, she asked Sheila Arla-Vlata if she could come along as an "observer" when the Sentinels were sent to Morges to meet the exiled Wolves led by Phelan Kell. She fought in that campaign very well, but failed to answer muster after the final battle at Desolation Bay. She was found a day later, her _Perennium_ barely touched, surrounded by four destroyed Clan light and medium OmniMechs; Marion Rhialla had a massive heart attack, but somehow lived long enough to finish off her opponents.

She died with a smile on her face.

_Senefa Malthus_ likewise remained with the Sentinels, though she took a year off to complete a bachelor's degree program at the New Avalon Institute of Science (having already completed two years in correspondence courses). Following her return to the Sentinels, she formed a Trinary of expatriate Clan warriors, consisting of freebirths disgusted with their lot in their respective Clans, non-Bloodnamed warriors captured by the Sentinels and given up for dead, and a Bloodnamed Smoke Jaguar who, like Senefa, had become disillusioned with his Clan and defected to the Inner Sphere. She also met up with Vornzel the Elemental, who was never exchanged after the end of the Clan War. He was considered "contaminated" due to helping the Tharkad avalanche rescuers. With nowhere else to go, he accepted Sheila's invitation to join the Sentinels Light Infantry, where he leads a company. He and Senefa became lovers again, and are more or less as married as trueborn Clanfolk can ever get. The Jade Falcons technically still have a price on her head, and four times since 3052, a Clan warrior has arrived at one of the Sentinels' postings to challenge her to a Circle of Equals. None have ever won, or survived.

Senefa's friendship with Sheila remains sound, and her "Clan Sentinel" is pound-for-pound the deadliest unit in the regiment, having annilihated a Liao battalion on Indicass in 3059 and becoming known as the Thin Green Line on Dieron versus the Word of Blake in 3071. Every December, Senefa traditionally challenges Sheila to a renewal of their Circle of Equals. She has never beaten Sheila, though admittedly she also pulls her punches—though Senefa has put Sheila in the hospital twice. Their relationship is so close that they are simply known as "the Sisters" in MechWarrior circles. Senefa remains determined to one day return to Clan Jade Falcon in triumph, though she has also stated she will never leave the Sentinels.

_Maximilian Canis-Vlata_ also remained with the Sentinels, as Sheila's aide-de-camp. It is known that, while Sheila commands the regiment, Max runs it. He has discovered a knack for logistics, and is superb in his staff work. However, if it becomes necessary (and it frequently does), Max is not afraid to go into combat in his _Battlemaster_. Content to live in his famous wife's shadow, Max has turned his attentions to more scholarly pursuits, having written several books and articles on the Sentinels and Snowbirds' exploits during the Clan War and since. He received a Ph.D. in History in 3068 and plans on retiring at some point in the near future to teach. He and Sheila remain fiercely in love.

_Sheila Arla-Vlata_ became the second commander of the Sentinels formally in May 3052. She has since proven both Mira Canis-Vlata and Melissa Steiner-Davion correct, having commanded the Sentinels ever since, fighting the Clans, Taurian raiders, the FedCom Civil War, and lately the Word of Blake. Under her command, the Sentinels not only were rebuilt, but expanded to two regiments. She remains popular with her regiment and her friends (which include Victor Steiner-Davion, who Sheila enthusiastically supported during the Civil War), and feared by her enemies. Her crowning achievement came in 3056, when the Sentinels rescued Ryuken-ni on Virentofta, only to find themselves up against three Nova Cat frontline Clusters and two Smoke Jaguar garrison units. Over the next six months, she played both Clans off each other, outmaneuvered both, and finally liberated Virentofta. For that action, she became the first foreigner to receive the Katana Cluster from Theodore Kurita. Other battles include the defense of Koniz from a Jade Falcon raid, helping to rescue a trapped Victor Steiner-Davion on Tikonov, and fighting the Word of Blake Jihad on Dieron and Shirotori.

She remains known, to friend and foe alike, as the Snowbird.

* * *

_Sentinel Base Virentofta_

_Virentofta, Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine_

_5 January 3072_

Robert Habersohn's head throbbed as he half-staggered down the stairway leading to the Sentinels' underground 'Mech bays. He fervently wished he had told some people to keep their money and their drinks the night before after the graduation ceremony, when he had become formally inducted into the Sentinels RCT. He had been very proud and honored to be selected for the elite Snowbirds Special Missions Combined Arms Team. "That's where the action is," his former roommate had told him. "I got assigned to boring old Alpha Battalion." Habersohn hadn't felt like mentioning that Alpha Battalion might be considered staid and boring compared to the wild and wooly Snowbirds, but Alpha was also where most of the Sentinels' assault 'Mechs were concentrated, and the Snowbirds had the higher casualty rate.

Entering the 'Mech bay, he instantly promised himself he would never drink again. The place was alive with BattleMechs undergoing repairs or modifications; the sound of riveting, pounding, and hissing seemed to find a permanent place behind his eyes. Still, he couldn't exactly call in sick on his first official day, so he resolved to find the lance he had been assigned to. He knew he had gotten Alpha Medium, known better by its nickname, the Royal Green Jackets. Every Sentinels lance got a nickname, usually from some famous historical military unit, or from a former Sentinel who had died heroically or had just been with the regiment forever. His roomie had gotten Canis' Cuirraissiers, named for Todd Canis-Vlata, whereas the Royal Green Jackets were the old riflemen of ancient Napoleonic times. Or so he'd heard, anyway. Unfortunately, that had been _all_ that been heard before his friends carted him off to a night of partying and drinking in celebration. He didn't even know who his lance commander was.

He moved down the 'Mech bay, passing a damaged _Bushwhacker_, which had myomers snaking out of various inspection ports, and detoured around a taped-off section where techs were testing the hip actuators on a _Sagittaire._ Habersohn paused for a moment, checking out the huge _Sagittaire_, which was a hunched over assault 'Mech bristling with lasers. In some ways, he wished he had one of those, instead of his trusty but somewhat outdated _Wolverine._ He was so engrossed with watching the _Sagittaire_ that he tripped over a power cable. Habersohn went sprawling, but was caught by powerful, grease-covered hands that somehow maintained their grip.

"Thanks, man," Habersohn remarked, then straightened and came to attention when he looked up at the hands' owner. "I mean, Master Tech."

Nicia Caii stared down at him. "Be careful, fella. This isn't a place for noobs to be wandering around."

"How did you know I was a noob?" Habersohn asked.

"Noobs stare at 'Mechs and trip over power cables." She read his nametape. "Huh. Habersohn? Was your dad Jim Habersohn?"

"Yeah. He was killed on Sudeten when I was two."

"Almost twenty years to the day. Huh," she repeated. "Well, welcome to the Sentinels, Mr. Habersohn. What are you looking for?"

"My lance, ma'am. I know the Snowbirds have their 'Mechs down here, but I don't know where the lances are assigned. I'm with Alpha Medium."

"The Royal Greens." Caii smiled. "Well, you're either going to love that lance, or you're going to hate every minute—" She spotted something over his shoulder. "Hey, MechWarrior Asagiri!" She waved a three-fingered hand at a young Kuritan woman. "C'mere!" Once Asagiri had obeyed, Caii shoved Habersohn forward as if he was meat to be inspected. "Here's your noob. Make sure he doesn't get killed down here. Good luck, MechWarrior." Caii lightly patted his back, and sent them on their way.

"Hi!" the woman brightly greeted him, taking his arm and leading him further into the 'Mech bay. "You're Robert Habersohn? I'm Yurika Asagiri. Pleased to meetcha. Do you go by Robert, Bob, or Bobby?"

"Bobby. Same here, meeting you." _Wow, she's cute,_ Habersohn thought. Asagiri wore her black hair long, which many MechWarriors did not; Habersohn had cut his hair close to his temples, Steiner fashion. She was short and looked feisty. "I hope I'm not late."

"Nah, don't sweat it. We know you were out drinking last night." She winked at him, then noticed he was staring at the red shoulder boards on her fatigue tunic. There was a single stripe atop the single chevron, indicating that Asagiri was a MechWarrior like himself, but had also been on "independent operations"—a euphemism for raids or in handpicked task forces that Commander Sheila Arla-Vlata liked to lead herself. Habersohn was surprised: Asagiri looked about nineteen, but she had to be older if she had already gotten the IO stripe.

Further questions had to wait, because Asagiri kept chattering, talking about how he was going to love it in the Snowbirds, where the duty was easy, the fighting hard, and the accomodations perfect. "We're the Commander's old battalion, so she has a soft spot for us," Asagiri prattled. "Oh sure, that also means we're usually the first into the crap and the last out, but the people are great. Don't believe that 'the 'Birds are stuck-up' crap the line battalions give us. We're pretty laid back here. Kahvi Falx is a great CO. Don't see her much; she's a classic samurai that way, but it also means that she kinda lets us do our own thing. Though I wonder how much longer she's going to be in command, since she just had a kid not too long ago, and she's kind of burnt out after Dieron. Ever been to Dieron? That place sucks. The Wobbies wanted that planet bad."

"How bad are the Wobbies? Bad as they say?" Habersohn finally got in a word edgewise.

"Worse. Ah, they're not all that tough in battle, compared to, say, the Clanners are, but you definitely don't want to get captured by them, so I hear. Speaking of Clanners, you met any of the nuts from Clan Sentinel?" Asagiri rolled her eyes. "Man, talk about Puritans. They don't know how to have any fun at all…ah, here we are." Asagiri turned and put out her arms. "Welcome to the Green Jackets, Bobby! We already got your 'Mech down here." Habersohn nodded, seeing his old _Wolverine._ It had been a gift from his uncle, who had been the only father he had really known; he had only hazy memories of his biological father. His mother had never remarried. He saw that techs were already painting it in the mottled white-and-gray winter camouflage the Snowbirds favored.

"We'll slap on the green stripes later," Asagiri informed him. She pointed to a _Valkyrie._ "That's mine. Now check this one out…" She slapped the side of a 'Mech Habersohn had never seen before. "This is one I bet you've never seen before," Asagiri chirped. "It's a _Vixen._ We captured this baby on my first mission, when we raided Courchevel two years ago. Clan 'Mech. Since the lance took it down, we got dibs on salvage. Dick Davis runs this baby. Dick? Hey, Dick? You around?"

"Dick's at chow," a female voice replied, muffled. "Who are you talking to, Yurika?"

"Our noob, LC. You know, Bobby Habersohn?"

"Oh yeah, the _Wolvie_ jock. I saw him last night but didn't get a chance to talk." Habersohn followed the voice to a shapely female derriere dressed in MechWarrior shorts sticking out of an inspection panel on a _Nightsky._ He quickly averted his eyes as hands snaked out of the panel and pushed the rest of the woman out. She wore a grease-smeared Snowbirds T-shirt and lifted a pair of goggles away from her green eyes, perching them atop a thick mass of red hair, pulled into two braids that fell to her small breasts. She sized him up and down. Habersohn abruptly came to attention, realizing this was his new lance commander. "Robert Habersohn reporting for duty, ma'am." He handed over crumpled orders. The lance commander smoothed them out, glanced at them, nodded, and then stuck a hand out.

"Hi, MechWarrior Habersohn," the woman said. "I'm Louisa Arla-Vlata."


End file.
